'My young super hero'; Teen's quick thinking in Clinton Township saves man's life

Teen's quick thinking saved man's life

Thanks to Richard Blackwell, Ed Fortuna has another shot at life. The story of his heroics were told during a ceremony at the Clinton Township Police Department.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - Ed Fortuna promised the crowd and his savior on Thursday that he would make the most of the second chance he was afforded after a brush with death.

Speaking at a press conference in Clinton Township, Fortuna told the audience that doctors said he had been clinically dead for 14 minutes. Then, Richard Blackwell spotted him.

The near-death experience happened at a car wash on Harper Avenue on July 13, where Blackwell and his cousin noticed Fortuna on the ground. They quickly sprung into action.

"My cousin Lemar flipped him over, and he saw the blood coming down his head. Then we saw officer Collins and I ran over to get him," said Blackwell.

That officer was Sgt. Paul Collins, who believes that without Blackwell's quick thinking, he wouldn't have seen Fortuna.

"I probably never would have seen him, I was getting dispatched to a run to the south. If it wasn’t for you, we all wouldn’t be sitting here right now," Collins said, turning to the teenager.

The heroic story was recounted during a presentation at the Clinton Township Police Department. All parties attended the ceremony, which awarded Blackwell with helping save Fortuna's life.

"But you my young super hero, refused to give up. Your swift actions snatched me back from death and gave me a second chance at life," Fortuna said.

After Collins turned his attention to Fortuna, he provided CPR and helped revive the man after a minute of chest compressions. The fire department arrived soon after and took Fortuna to the hospital.

He's since made a full recovery.

"We gave each other a fist bump and I could see the look on his face and he just started glowing," said Collins, referring to Blackwell.