Yuma man saves next-door neighbor’s life

One Yuma man has taken neighborly love to the next level by saving another man’s life.

Some may say he’s a hero, but Armando Corona believes he was doing what any neighbor is supposed to do.

Dan Lomax and Corona say they’re not just neighbors, they’re buddies.

However, an unexpected turn of events made their friendship tighter than before.

On a hot Thursday afternoon in September, Corona recalled hearing Lomax’s wife frantically banging on his front door.

“All I heard was Dan is unresponsive,” he said.

Corona ran over and found his next-door neighbor unconscious, turning purple, with no pulse.

As a retired correctional officer, he sprung into action.

He confidently performed CPR on his neighbor.

After the second set of 30 compressions, Corona said Lomax took his first breath.

“I knew it right there that [Lomax] was going to survive,” Corona said.

He continued CPR until the Yuma Fire Department ( YFD ) arrived to take over.

Lomax said he didn’t know what happened to him when he woke up in the hospital.

All he remembers is being in pain, and happy to be alive.

Lomax joked, ” [Corona] only broke ten of my ribs and the doctor wanted to know why he didn’t break the other two? ”

Last week, YFD and the City of Yuma honored Corona with a Lifesaving Award.

To this day, Lomax still doesn’t know exactly how to thank his neighbor.

” Honestly, what can you do for somebody that saved your life? You give them the shirt off your back…but you know that there’s so much more, ” he said.

Doctors believe Lomax suffered a random heart complication that in his case could have been life-threatening.

The two neighbors want to thank YFD for their rapid response and professionalism.

KYMA 2019