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HERRIMAN — You can get places faster sitting behind the wheel. But you won't get as much exercise unless you get out.
As members of the Herriman High School cross country team, these teens love getting outside to run, as they should.
Unfortunately, one of them can't.
Bryan Fugal, a senior, was with his teammates on a run this past Monday morning, when they noticed a truck coming right at them.
"All of a sudden, it was just a flash and next thing I know, I'm on the ground in pain," Fugal said.
Fugal was hit, suffering a broken leg and ending his senior season.
"(It was my) last year of doing it, but got to look at the positives. It could have been much worse," Fugal said.
It could’ve been much worse if not for coach James Barnes.
"I know he pulled a couple of us out of the way," said cross-country team member Adam Wood.
"He saved my life,” said Levi Timothy.
"He pushed a few kids out of the way, so more would have been hurt if it wasn't for him," Fugal said.
"I pulled the one kid across because he was one of the closest, pushed another kid, and we were just yelling for kids to get out of the way," Barnes said.
People in Herriman are calling Barnes a hero for getting runners out of the way instead of worrying about himself.
"You get that sick feeling, you know, because that's your worse fear as a coach that someone is going to get hurt — especially in a sport likes ours, cross-country, where we are out on the roads and out on the trails,” Barnes said.
The team was already close. Now, they're even closer.
"As soon as one person got hurt, it's like someone as your family member getting hurt," said cross-country team member Mikaela Jorgensen.
"It's just amazing,” Fugal said. “It helps me so much. They came and visited me in the hospital, brought me a bunch of stuff and made posters for me. It’s just amazing."
Fugal is hoping to go back to school soon. As for the driver of the truck that hit Fugal, he stayed on the scene and got a ticket. Coach Barnes said he was speeding.
