A high school student from Oskaloosa was honored for her quick thinking that prevented a tragedy

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Student-athlete Cora Snakenberg knew precisely what to do when a discus went awry during a recent track and field tournament, striking a student on the back of the head.

It took place at an East Marshall High School function. Oskaloosa High School sophomore Snakenberg was struck by the discus when he warmed up for the shot put.

When the audience gasped, Snakenberg said that she was going to stop shooting.

“I just hear him say, ‘Can you call 911 please? I got hit,’ and I see him move his hand, and there’s just blood dripping down his hand,” Snakenberg said in a post on the school’s website.

When no one else was willing to assist the boy, Snakenberg used her lifeguarding expertise and experience to her advantage.

“He was conscious. He was talking a little bit. He definitely was stunned,” she recalled. “no one was really going out to help him.”

She kept the hurt student quiet and upright by applying pressure to the wound until assistance could be provided.

“I grabbed the back of his head, braced my other hand on his forehead, and just tried to apply pressure because that’s what you do,” she explained. “I asked for a blanket, towel, or something… and one of my teammates brought me over a towel to use.”

Coach Betsy Luck of Oskaloosa High School remarked that Snakenberg’s efforts demonstrate her leadership, compassion, and fast thinking.

“She’s a smart girl, I think she always knows what to do in a situation and was able to come out and help somebody else in that moment for sure,” Luck said.

The day after receiving medical attention, the hurt student was allowed to return to class.