It wasn’t the first time Detective Brandon White had used CPR to save a life, but it was the first time he’d performed it on someone so young. The sense of urgency he felt to help the teen was heightened when White saw the extent of his injuries.

When the 15-year-old Granger High student was hit by a vehicle near 3450 W. 3500 South on Sept. 19, White, a Granger High resource officer, jumped into action. He was patrolling the area and came upon the accident. He found that the student was not breathing and did not have a pulse. 

White began performing life-saving CPR immediately and was soon joined by Officer Garrett Penrose, a canine patrol officer, who responded to the scene and assisted with CPR. The two officers took turns providing CPR to the teen for more than eight minutes until the student began to respond.

“You could tell when he came to that he was in pain, but he was making noises and he was breathing and, seriously, tears welled up in my eyes because I couldn’t believe it,” White said. “It was a miracle to me because he was in bad shape.”

The teen was transported to the hospital in critical condition where they had to revive him two more times. He was then transferred to Primary Children’s Hospital where they diagnosed his internal injuries. 

Doctors told White that if he had waited to administer CPR, even just for one more minute, the student probably wouldn’t have survived. The young man is expected to make a full recovery.

“God put me in the right place at the right time,” White said. “I was needed right then and things just happened for a reason.”

White and Penrose were honored with Distinguished Service Awards for the heroic actions that saved the young student’s life. During a Granite Board of Education meeting, Granite School District Police Department Chief Randy Porter said he was honored to present the awards to his officers. 

“The actions taken by Officer Brandon White and Officer Garrett Penrose saved this young person’s life,” Porter said. 

White is a police veteran who retired from the Sheriff’s department after serving for 20 years. He is currently in his fourth year working for the Granite Police Department. Penrose was hired after graduating from the police academy and is in his third year with the department.

“I came out of retirement so that I could unconditionally love people and show them that love by my service to them and try to do an effective job,” White said. “This had a good outcome and I’m truly blessed to be a part of it.”

The student’s mother reported that her son is home recovering from his injuries and is anxious to get back to school. λ