The American Red Cross honored a Kennesaw State student with an award on Friday, Jan. 25, after she assisted an injured motorcyclist in the summer of 2018.
Brittany Ingenito, a senior exercise science major, received the Red Cross Lifesaving Award and the Certificate of Merit, which is the highest award an individual can receive, by performing an extraordinary act of bravery, compassion and service. This award was in recognition for Ingenito’s actions to help a motorcyclist who had sustained fatal injuries after a box truck had crashed into him on Due West Road in Dallas, Georgia, last summer.
Ingenito noticed the motorcyclist lying unconscious on the road and knew that she “had to step in and help.” After taking a moment to process, Ingenito proceeded to give the biker chest compressions until an emergency medical team arrived on the scene and later concluded that he had died due to internal injuries.
“I was the only person there who knew what to do on the spot,” Ingenito said. “If someone had gotten there sooner, I really believe that the outcome would have been different.”
Ingenito hopes that other people see how important it is to take the time to stop and help, whether it is as simple as calling 911 or even performing CPR after proper training.
Ingenito, 22, stated that she has been CPR certified through the American Heart Association since she was 17 years old. She earned several Red Cross Certifications in applying CPR, first aid and automated external defibrillator skills and working with children in after-school programs.
Ingenito described receiving this award as “bittersweet” and said that she has always felt that it is important for everyone to be CPR certified.
In addition to receiving her training from the Red Cross Program, Ingenito stated that she gives credit to the exercise science faculty of the WellStar College of Health and Human Services at KSU, who she said, “are some of the best mentors” and “go above and beyond from what anyone expects of them.”
Ingenito is prepared to graduate in December with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and plans to become a physical therapist.
“Being a student here at KSU has really helped me to grow into a better person,” Ingenito said.