Texas parents honor daughter’s rescuers through a foundation that has awarded 67 scholarships

When an 18-year-old student died after a head-on crash on a Texas highway, her parents decided to turn their grief into a lasting tribute to the strangers who tried to save her life. Kenli Riney was driving along the highway when her vehicle spun off the road into a ditch and caught fire. The Argote family was travelling behind her and witnessed the crash.

Mike Argote and three other people immediately ran toward the burning vehicle and pulled Riney from the wreckage. Although Argote suffered burns during the rescue, he quickly began performing CPR on Riney. When he became too tired to continue, his 14-year-old daughter, Ema Argote, took over and continued trying to save her life.

After realizing that Riney had died, the Argote family gathered beside her on the roadside and prayed together. Riney's parents, Marjohn and Kevin Riney, knew very little about the people who had spent their daughter's final moments trying to save her. The family eventually learned who the rescuers were after Riney's uncle found a Facebook post describing the crash.