Two bystanders save Colorado man's life when he collapsed on local trail after going into cardiac arrest

A Colorado man is living a life of gratitude after strangers, without hesitation, stepped in and saved his life when he collapsed on a trail in Arapahoe County due to cardiac arrest.

Back in October, Craig Morroni went for a bike ride along the High Line Canal Trail in Cherry Hills Village when he suffered cardiac arrest. As he's been on the road to recovery, he also reunited with the people who give him a second chance at life, who he calls, his angels.

"The percentages are minuscule for me to have survived. So that is why I say I am a walking miracle," said Morroni.

Morroni said Oct. 19, 2025, was a day he'll never forget. He recalls wanting to go on a bike ride because he said it was a beautiful day.

"I remember leaving the house, and the next thing I knew is I was waking up in a hospital, and my wife Mary was looking me in the eye," said Morroni.

Joyanne McShea took her mountain bike for a ride that day. When she parked at the High Line Canal Trail, she saw Marroni unconscious on the ground.

"He had his helmet on. His bike was next to him on the ground. When I saw no pulse, to me that means he wasn't breathing, and I just started compressions," said McShea.

Another bystander called 911.

Seguin Guerrero was on the last leg of a lengthy run. When he saw the medical emergency, he stopped to help and jumped into action.

"A super-duper lucky coincidence that I had just received my CPR recertification training the week before at work. So, I had all this kind of fresh on my mind," said Guerrero. "Without thinking, I did what I could to help Joyanne with two-man CPR."

Between compressions, Guerrero gave Morroni mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until first responders arrived, including Cherry Hills Village police officers and South West Metro Fire.

"There were several instances where he was not breathing on his own, and we were pretty much the only thing keeping him breathing," said Guerrero.

As a speech language pathologist, McShea gets CPR training every three months, which she said made a big impact.

"I think the training made such a difference. I felt calm, the teamwork was so effortless," said McShea.

It's the heart of a miracle. Thanks to their training and quick actions, Morroni's life was saved. He was then taken to the emergency room at HCA HealthONE Swedish in Englewood. Doctors then placed him into a medically induced coma for several days.

The American Red Cross states that only 10% of people who have cardiac arrest outside of a hospital survive. When recognizing he overcame the odds, Morroni then organized a reunion at the hospital to meet those who helped give him a second chance at life.

"To be able to look at the nurses that were here, the doctors that I had never met here at the patient reunion, was incredible, and I never really understood the depth of how it would impact them, as much as it did me," said Merroni.

McShea and Guerrero both hadn't heard about Merroni's outcome or recovery until about two months later. The day of the reunion party, police contacted McShea and she was able to attend the reunion just several hours later.

"He hugged me, and he held my hand, and he never let it go," said McShea. "We're always going to be friends."

Police contacted Guerrero afterwards and helped reunite the three. All three then met back at the trail in December in a reunion of gratitude.

"When I met both Seguin and Joyanne, the word that came to mind was absolute courage," said Morroni.

"It was so exciting to get to see him and see how well he was doing. It made me so happy," said Guerrero. "It's definitely a lifelong bond that I think we've all formed."

Morroni now has a photo from that day of the reunion. He said there's not a day that goes by that he doesn't look at it and think about his angels who helped him.

Thankfully Morroni did not suffer from any brain damage or heart damage. Now he wants to share his story with others.

"The event obviously was completely unexpected. I had no pain, I had no symptoms, I had nothing," said Morroni. "But my grandfather died at 64, my father suffered with heart disease for 20 years, so between my exercise and lifestyle, I thought I was doing everything I need."

While he has heart disease in the family, his hope is that others will get routine checkups and pay close attention to their health.

"The part that I am focused on is just sharing the miracle in any way that I possibly can," said Morroni.

Morroni was 68 when the medical emergency happened. He just celebrated his 69th birthday several weeks ago. He added, he's since bought a new bike after 40 years. He hopes to meet with McShea and Gurrero regularly to ride bikes or catch up.