Real Life Little Heroes
Think kids are too young to know what to do in an
emergency? Think again.
Here are real life inspirational stories of young
children acting heroically under emergency situations. Just like the type of
scenarios the Little Warriors teaches kids to handle. Ideally we hope
that no one's child has to face the kind of situation these kids had to face
but if they did, wouldn't you want your child to come out of it a hero
instead of a victim?
Kids Providing Emergency
Assistance
WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. -- The act itself was seemingly simple enough,
involving just one phone call and several words. But that task is a heroic
feat when you consider the person who made the call.
The caller was a 2-year-old girl, who called 911 after her mother collapsed
inside their Oak Harbor home.
Erika Miller was playing with her daughter, Alana, on Thursday night when a
migraine suddenly hit her.
"Usually, I can take care of it with medication, but I was out of the
medication I normally use for that," she said.
Erika took some painkillers, but they didn't stop the trouble ahead.
"I remember feeling a little bit dizzy," she said. "Took two or three more
steps and hit the floor."
Alana watched as Erika collapsed in the next room. She then walked up to the
coffee table, picked up the phone and dialed 911.
"While she was on the phone she said 'Mommy ouch,'" said Petty Officer
William Cummings, with Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
Those two words sent Cummings to Alana's house. Inside, he found Erika on
the floor and Alana in the other room, getting a blanket for mommy, who was
shivering.
Paramedics took Erika to the hospital.
"I was shocked to hear my 2 year old had the ability and knowledge to call
911," she said. "She's got a very big vocabulary in English and German."
It turns out she had learned it all from Erika, who is a volunteer for the
Red Cross.
"I had shown her a few months ago. 'This is what you do when there' s a big
ouie' or what buttons to push. Maybe some of it sunk in," she said.
Erika was released from the hospital on the same day. She said she has had
several CAT scans, but the results didn't reveal any underlying problems.
Erika says she now has the correct medication, but says she finds comfort in
knowing that Alana knows what to do in case of an emergency.
And, it turns out, Alana knows quite a few words for a 2 year old, in both
English and in German.
"I'm so proud of her," Erika said.
KATU-TV
http://www.katu.com/news/9821817.html
Back to Top
Girl calls 911, saves mom's life
Erika Ayers, 24, of Greeley said this Mother's Day is going to be the
best one ever because she is here, thanks to her 6-year-old daughter.
On April 19, Emalee Luckeroth came inside after playing at a neighbor's
home to find her mother lying on the bathroom floor.
Ayers had collapsed, vomited and was convulsing.
"The last thing I remember was my 15-month-old, Mollee, lying on the floor
with me," Ayers said.
"She was squishing and shaking on her," Emalee said.
Emalee tried to wake her mom twice and called her name, but there was no
response. At that point, she picked up her little sister and carried her
into the front room. She said she didn't cry because she didn't want to.
"I thinked and I thinked and I called 911," Emalee said. "I told them my
phone number and address."
Ayers and her husband started teaching Emalee how to use 911 since she was
4. They showed her how to dial the number on the house phone as well as on
four different kinds of cell phones.
Emalee stayed on the phone with dispatch until the firefighters arrived.
Just a day earlier, Ayers had started taking the TrimSpa X32 weight-loss
pill that Anna Nicole Smith endorses. Emalee found the box and gave it to
the firefighters. She also went out to her mother's car in the garage to
find her purse.
Ayers apparently had a reaction to the pills.
"It had sounded safe," Ayers said. "I don't have allergies, a heart
condition or any medical conditions at all."
Ayers later found out that the pills are not FDA-approved.
Emergency personnel carried Ayers out to an ambulance and took her to
North Colorado Medical Center at 4:10 p.m. She was told her heart rate had
reached 166. She was very close to having a heart attack.
Emalee and her baby sister stayed at the house with some neighbors until
her grandfather came to take her to visit her mother at the hospital.
Ayers finally woke up at 6 p.m. She didn't remember anything.
"Someone came in and told me I better be really proud of my 6-year-old,"
Ayers said. Then she found out exactly what happened.
The next day, Ayers rewarded her brave daughter by taking her out on a
shopping spree, to McDonald's and finished with an ice cream sundae.
Emalee was also given a stuffed dog from the firefighters. She carries the
dog around everywhere.
"His name is Firedog 911," Emalee said with a big smile.
Ayers is happy to be back home and is grateful for her daughter.
"It was pretty overwhelming that she did all of that on her own," Ayers
said.
Source:
http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20050501/NEWS/105010077
Back to Top
Boy, 4, big hero to mom
When Ryan Smith peeked into the kitchen,
he saw his mom, Tina, lying on the floor.
The 4-year-old tried to get her to roll
over, but there was no response.
When she couldn't answer him, the
Fayetteville youth knew exactly what to do.
He called 911.
Dispatcher Cathy Conger answered the
phone and Ryan got right to the heart of the situation.
"My mommy got hurt," he said.
In the first 45 seconds of the call,
Ryan said his mom was on the floor in the kitchen, he didn't know how
she was hurt and her eyes were closed. He also told Conger that his dad,
Jerry, was at work and he was alone at home with his mom.
Later, confiding to another dispatcher
in a warbling voice, Ryan said his mom's eyes were closed "like she was
dead."
Paramedics were sent immediately to the
Smiths' Fayetteville home so Tina could be rushed to the hospital.
Doctors later determined Tina had passed
out due to a minor heart condition she had been recently diagnosed with.
Hours after the situation began, she was released from the hospital.
That happened in April of last year.
Just last week, Ryan was recognized with several other youths in
Georgia for their heroics in remembering to call 911 and get help in an
emergency situation.
Ryan, a student at Fayette Elementary
School, was presented with a medal from the Georgia Emergency Management
Agency. Monday afternoon, he recalled who taught him to call 911 for
help.
"My mom put it in my head, 'cause I
listen to her," Ryan said.
All Tina remembers from that fateful
morning is leaving Ryan's bedroom after he said he was hungry.
Ryan remembers much more. He found her
lying down in the kitchen with a knife in her hand from where she was
putting butter in his oatmeal.
"I thought, 'What is she doing? Is she
trying to play around, or maybe she's passed out?'" Ryan said. "So I
called 911."
Minutes after Ryan's call, the
paramedics arrived and he unlocked the door for them. As the ambulance
drove Tina to the hospital, Ryan rode up front next to the driver.
"He was driving and I was sitting," Ryan
remembered.
Well before the incident occurred, Tina
had practiced calling 911 with Ryan on one of his toy telephones. She
made it very clear that it was only to be used in emergencies.
Sure enough, Ryan knew when to make the
call.
Tina urged other parents to teach
their children to remember their name, address and phone number in case
they ever need to call 911.
"I told him you should call 911 if you
ever see me passed out because you can't fix it," Tina Smith explained.
She admitted that she worried he'd call 911 just to see if it worked,
but he never did.
Ryan said he might want to be a
paramedic one day. But he's not quite ready to commit to that.
"I'm still just a kid," he said. "I have
a long, long time to decide."
- By JOHN MUNFORD
TheCitizenNews.com
- Wednesday, January 31, 2001
-
ttp://www.thecitizennews.com/main/archive-010131/news/fp-03.html
Back to Top
HAMPSTEAD, N.H. -- Eric M. Cafazzo, 10, does not think of
himself as a hero, but his mother knows that his quick actions earlier
this week saved his younger sister's life.
Little Jessica L. Cafazzo, 8, was
snacking on a hard-boiled egg when a portion lodged in her throat. Robin
M. Cafazzo said she knew her daughter was in trouble when she was
struggling to breathe and could not get out any sounds.
''I tried to get it to come out and I
asked her if she could say Mommy, but she couldn't,'' said Mrs. Cafazzo,
admitting she was beginning to panic.
Rushing to the phone to call 911, she
yelled to her son Eric who was watching television with a friend in the
next room.
''Before I even made the (911)
connection, Eric had his arms around his sister and the egg had popped
out,'' Mrs. Cafazzo said.
Just two months earlier, members of
Eric's Cub Scout Pack 111, Den 6, had listened to a first aid lesson
from Robert A. Goudreault, a member of the Ski Patrol. The lesson
included instruction on the Heimlich Maneuver for helping a person who
is choking.
''Jessie has Down syndrome and so she
doesn't always chew her food good,'' Eric explained.
''When Mom yelled, I ran in and saw her
choking and she wasn't making any noise. I was a little scared, but I
knew I could do it,'' Eric said of the life-saving procedure.
Mrs. Cafazzo said her son must have used
every ounce of his strength. ''Her feet came right up off the floor,''
she described.
''Eric just had the magic touch. I think
I was afraid of hurting her and didn't push hard enough,'' Mrs. Cafazzo
said.
''I didn't have time to think. You get
an adrenalin rush,'' Eric said.
Eric's skills were reinforced when he
and his mother watched an episode of Nick News on the Nickelodeon
Channel, which featured first aid tips.
''Mom and I practiced how to do it,''
Eric said demonstrating the correct hand placement.
''I think everybody with younger
brothers and sisters should learn how to do it,'' Eric advised.
Jessica rewarded her brother with a big
kiss after he saved her life, and the family had what Mrs. Cafazzo calls
a ''group hug.''
Jessica has lots of hugs and kisses for
her special brother and has made this promise: ''I'm gonna try to chew
my food better,''little Jessica said.
Source
-
By Dawn M. Shaw
Eagle-Tribune Writer
-
Monday, July 20, 1998
-
http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/19980720/HA_001.htm
Back to Top
Boy, 7, Hailed A Hero for Preventing Crash
A schoolboy who steered a car to
safety after his father had a fatal heart attack at the
wheel has won a bravery award, police said today.
Max Mills grabbed the Ford Sierra’s steering wheel when he
realized it was drifting towards oncoming traffic.
The seven-year-old and his brother Harry, five, left the car
unharmed but their father Cyril, 49, died later in hospital.
A Devon and Cornwall police spokeswoman today said Max’s
quick thinking had prevented a collision on the route from
Bratton Fleming to Ilfracombe, north Devon, on October 13.
And she said Max, from Woolacombe in north Devon, was back
at school today after receiving a Chief Superintendent’s
Commendation for bravery at a ceremony in Ottery St Mary,
Devon, last night.
Chief Supt Morris Watts, who presented the award, said:
“Max, who was sat in the front passenger seat and obviously
very distressed, had the presence of mind to grab the
steering wheel and steer the car away from oncoming traffic
thus avoiding any further tragic consequences.”
Source
- By Louise
Barnett, PA News
Tue 25 Nov 2003
-
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2222168
Back to Top
An eight-year-old Brisbane boy has been
nominated for a child bravery award after he called the ambulance service
when his mother suffered an epileptic fit.
James MaGill called 000 on Tuesday as his
mother Donna suffered a seizure on the floor of the family home in the
western Brisbane suburb of Forest Lake.
"The next thing I knew was mum having a fit
and then I remembered what to do," James told National Nine News.
"I timed the seizure then I tried to roll
mum on her side."
James then called Queensland Ambulance
Service and communications officer Karen Warren guided him in helping his
mother until an ambulance arrived.
Ms Warren praised James for his composure
and clear instructions in giving vital information about Mrs MaGill's
condition and his home's address and phone number.
"He was a wonderful little boy and I told
him so several times while we were chatting," Ms Warren said.
"I thought his mum would be very proud of
him and I felt very proud of him."
Mrs MaGill says she was also proud of the
way her son handled the situation.
"It's very hard with epilepsy to decide what
the consequences will be, because it could be one of many things," she said.
"I could have become unconscious, gone into
a coma or anything."
"I'm glad he's here to look after me."
Source
-
January 10, 2004
Theage.com
-
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/10/1073437499608.html
Back to Top
OAKLAND
- Keither Dodds, a Joaquin Miller Elementary fourth-grader,
says his heroes are his father -- Oakland police officer Keith Dodds --
Oakland Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown and actor Will Smith.
But in the eyes and heart of his mother,
Edie Dodds, the 9-year-old boy is a hero in his own right.
On Aug. 2, Keither helped get his mother
and 6-year-old sister, Eden, out of their Honda Odyssey minivan that had
rolled over on Skyline Boulevard, near Joaquin Miller Road. Dodds and
her children were returning home after a trip to Roberts Park.
The accident occurred at about 3 p.m.
Dodds lost control of the van after she felt her shoulder "pop out of
its socket." The van, which was traveling downhill, crashed into a
another car before rolling over.
"The only thing that stopped us from
going over the embankment was a parked Volvo," Edie said.
When the van came to a stop, she was
semi-conscious. Her daughter, Eden, was crying, and Keither was working
to unbuckle their seat belts -- so he could get them all out of the
upside-down minivan.
He smelled smoke and feared the car was
about to ignite.
"I was sort of shocked. I've never been
in an accident that bad," Keither said. But all I thought about was
helping my mom and my sister and trying to get out of the car."
Keither first got his sister out of the
minivan. The doors had been popped open by the impact of the wreck.
He then tried to lift his mother out. He
got her halfway out of the car, and by this time, several off-duty
lifeguards and other passers-by had walked over to help.
Edie remembers Keither telling her
calmly that everything was going to be OK, she said. Keither then
borrowed a cell phone from an adult and called his father, who was at
their nearby hills residence.
Although he sustained a small injury to
his head, Keither said he did not think about it until after his father
arrived.
"The amazing part to me was that this
little boy kept his composure throughout the whole thing," Edie
said. "When his dad showed up, he finally released a tear."
Solving problems and thinking fast
during emergencies is not new to Keither, who is a "conflict manager" at
school.
"I solve problems as a conflict
manager," Keither said. "I break up fights and help, like when my friend
scraped his knee."
Keither's father also remembers when his
son helped a little girl who was having an asthma attack -- adding that
the boy had not been trained by his parents about what to do after a car
accident.
Keither was calm, cool and collected
when he explained the accident and his location, Keith said.
The 15-year police veteran said he was
surprised to see the minivan destroyed. Based on his son's composure
over the phone, he had thought the accident was less severe.
Keith said he and Keither were in an
auto collision five years ago, when their car was hit in the back.
"I guess having me as his dad has helped
him remain calm," Keith said. "I'm very proud of him. He worked through
a serious emergency like that. I know conflict management has helped
him."
Edie, who has since had surgery for her
shoulder, said she and her children are lucky not to have suffered major
injuries.
Source
- By Ana
Facio Contreras
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Wed, Aug. 27, 2003
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/6628576.htm
Back to Top
9 year
old boy honored as hero
The term hero is often over-used but it's probably
well deserved in the case of 9-year old Scott
Gonzales who is credited with saving his
grandmother's life back on September 10th.
On Thursday, he was recognized for his actions
and was presented the Corpus Christi Police
Department Citizens Lifesaving Certificate by police
chief Pete Alvarez .
Alvarez said , "We do have heroes in the
community young and old. In this case our hero is
nine years old."
Scott Gonzales recalled how nervous he was when
he saw his grandmother struggling and eventually
losing consciousness.
As he put it, "She wasn't breathing. She was just
really ill and it made me nervous so I called the
ambulance.:"
As it turned out, Scott's grandmother had a
serious heart condition and any delay would have
killed her.
Even though other family members were there,
it was Scott who had the presence of mind to call
9-1-1.
Katherine Durham was the 911 operator who took
the call from Scott.
She said, "He did good...better than most of the
adults. He was real calm and I confirmed the address
with them."
Scott's parents were out of town on a vacation in
Cancun.
That's why Scott was staying with his grandmother
and was able to make that life-saving call to 9-1-1.
Scott's father Glen Gonzales said he was very
proud of this son.
Even though his son initially didn't want him to
go to Cancun, Scott was happy he was with his
grandmother when she needed him.
As Glen Gonzales put it, "He's glad we went away.
If we hadn't gone, than his grandmother would have
died, so I'm grateful he was there and knew what to
do."
Scott's grandmother is recuperating at home now
and her family says she's doing well.
Source
http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1458294
Back to Top
San Jose
teacher saved by his 11-year-old student
Wood shop teacher Fred Sotcher felt a
powerful chill and started to tremble, but he threw on a heavier shirt
and assured his sixth-graders he was fine. Daniel Rivas didn't believe
it.
The 11-year-old boy rushed to a phone
and called the front office to report his teacher needed help.
At first, Daniel's concerns weren't
taken seriously, but he refused to budge until the school nurse came to
check on his teacher. Within minutes, an ambulance was rushing Sotcher
to a hospital where he spent four days in intensive care as doctors
treated a major infection that had spread throughout his body.
Daniel's questioning authority saved his
life, Sotcher figures. The retired electronics business owner heads back
to John Montgomery Elementary School in San Jose on Wednesday to
volunteer as a shop teacher after a three-week recovery.
``I was very impressed with the fact
that he refused to listen to me and he refused to listen to the
office,'' Sotcher said of Daniel. ``For a sixth-grader, the office
represents authority. And he had the courage to challenge that
authority.''
Source
- By Elise Banducci
- Mercury News
Sun, Dec. 01, 2002
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/4645686.htm
Back to Top
Little Boy Hero
Seven-Year-Old Boy Walks in Snow to Save Mother’s Life
G R E E L E Y,
Colo., Nov. 30
— Authorities say the quick decisions made by a
7-year-old boy saved the life of his mother when the family got into an
accident driving home from Thanksgiving dinner.
Titus Adams and his sisters, Tiffany, 4,
and Tierra, 1, were riding in their mom's pickup, snug and warm in their
pajamas.
Less than a mile from home, his mother's
car veered off the road and rolled five times. She was thrown from the
car and was unconscious.
When the truck came to a rest, Titus
checked on his sisters, who escaped serious injury because they were
buckled into car seats.
"I tried to open the door, but it was
kind of squished closed, so I jumped out the window," Titus said.
Before leaving to get help, he comforted
Tiffany. "I told her not to let Tierra cry," he said. "I promised her
I'd be back after I got some help." "He was in his pajamas with no
shoes," said his father, Glenn Adams. "He walked through a muddy field,
squeezed under an electric fence and then had to break the gate on
another fence to get through."
Titus said, "It had barbed wire on the
other side so I couldn't go under it. I was just pushing it really hard
and then it fell down."
In all, Titus walked about a half mile,
with no coat, in 23-degree weather. "I just ran a lot."
When he arrived at the Galeton Dairy,
the boy found an empty office and walked around the building until he
found workers and yelled that there had been an accident.
"He kept walking and finally he saw
three guys and he just hollered out, `Hey, there's been an accident!"'
Adams said. The dairy workers called 911.
State Patrol officers quickly arrived.
Titus' mother, Tammy Hill, suffered a broken back, broken neck and 10
broken ribs, was in critical condition at North Colorado Medical Center.
Paramedics said she may not have
lived had Titus waited for a passer-by.
"All of the police and paramedics said
he's a hero," said his father, Glenn Adams, 32. "He saved his mom's
life."
Source
- The Associated Press
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/boy_hero021202.html
Back to Top
Grandpa had diabetic reaction
Genesee County —
(12/23/02)--A 6-year-old is responsible
for saving her grandfather's life. In the middle of the night, he suffered a
diabetic reaction. Abby knew what to do. ABC12's Taryn Asher had more.
Abby's grandmother is a nurse, so at an even younger age, Abby was taught
what to do in case her grandpa had an emergency. Abby Fender is your typical
6 year old, playful and energetic. But early Monday morning, Abby became
wise beyond her years.
"She's my guardian angel," said grandfather Terry.
Abby witnessed her grandfather having a diabetic reaction.
When he didn't
react to her calls, she dialed 911. It didn't take long for emergency crews
and police to arrive at the scene.
State troopers are saluting Abby. Her quick thinking under pressure saved
her grandfather from more serious complications, even death. Abby says this
will be her favorite gift because she will still have her grandfather with
her on Christmas morning.
Source
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/news/122302_NW_da_hero.html
Back to Top
Kids Saving Other Kids
7-Year-Old
Apparently Pushed Younger Cousin From Path Of Car
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --
Noah Patrick is in fair condition, recovering from two broken legs and other
injuries sustained when his 12-year-old cousin backed a car over him Sunday
while moving a car from the driveway.
But the story doesn't end there.
Not only is the 7-year-old in remarkably
good spirits, his family is proud of him -- calling him a brave little
boy.
When the older cousin was moving the car
at the request of Noah's father, she didn't see that Noah was in the way.
He was hit and dragged across the street.
As more information about what happened in
those seconds before he was hit came out, his family learned that Noah may
have saved his 4-year-old cousin's life.
His mother, Renee Green, has been by her
son's side since he was rushed to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center. She
and other family members told Channel 4's Joyce Morgan Monday that Noah
reacted instinctively to save his 4-year-old cousin Cyrus.
"The story was told by another cousin out
there that Cyrus was the one geared to get hit," Noah's mother, Renee
Green, said. "But Noah pushed him out of the way."
"There was no thinking when it came to
protect Cyrus. He just did it," Noah's grandmother, Gloria Freeman, said.
"He didn't know the danger that lied ahead for him."
Green said Noah is in good spirits,
considering everything that's happened to him. But she said the road to
recovery is long and tough.
"Throughout it all, he's still thinking
about everybody else but himself," Noah's mother said. "He does not
realize the pain and the process he has to go through."
That process means a minimum of least 6 to
8 weeks in a cast from the waist down, and many doctor visits.
His mother wanted to thank the community for
their prayers, and told Morgan that's made the difference in Noah's recovery
so far.
Source
- News4jax.com
- April 8, 2002
-
http://www.news4jax.com/news/1387311/detail.html
Back to Top
Little boy big hero in
Saskatchewan
REGINA - Saskatchewan honoured a very small boy for a very big
deed – saving his cousin from drowning in the family pool.
Last summer, five-year-old Jonathan Muir noticed his younger
cousin Tessa had jumped into the backyard pool without her water
wings. The rest of the family was getting ready to barbecue and
didn't notice.
"I was the last one in the pool. I was going to get out and I saw
bubbles. I went to check it out and it was Tessa," said Jonathan,
now six years old.
"I saved her. I pulled her up by the side."
Jonathan's father, John Muir, says he's impressed with his son's
quick thinking.
"It was pretty overwhelming for him to tell me what happened
because I didn't see it," said the father.
"He got a whole bunch of pats on the back and it really sunk in
after, how brave he was."
During a ceremony at Regina's Government House last weekend,
Saskatchewan Lieutenant-Governor Lynda Haverstock presented Jonathan
with the Lifesaving Society's 2003 Rescue Award.
The Livesaving Society is a volunteer organization dedicated to
the prevention of drowning.
Source
- Written by CBC News Online
-
Mon, 10 Nov 2003
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/11/10/sask_honour031110
Back to Top
Canal rescue boy hailed as hero
Ross and his mother return to the
scene of the rescue
A ten-year-old boy has been hailed as a hero for plucking a younger
boy from the icy waters of an Edinburgh canal.
Daniel Peden, who was on an Easter trip to the city from his home
in Manchester, became a lifesaver when eight-year-old Ross Hunter
became too interested in a toy floating in the Union Canal and fell
in.
His head was disappearing under the water and despite being a
strong swimmer he could not pull himself out.
But Daniel, who had been feeding ducks nearby, heard the boy's
frantic splashing and ran to his aid.
He said: "He was flapping around like
he couldn't swim and his head kept going under the water.
"I ran to a little ledge and tried to grab him. I got his arm and
pulled him against the ledge and he pressed his feet against it and
was able to get out."
"I felt scared and when I got him out he was spitting water and
crying because he'd had such a fright. I took him home and his mum
thanked me."
Ross said the ordeal had left him badly shaken.
He said: "I was frightened because I felt really strange with the
cold. Water kept going in to my mouth and I would have drowned if
Daniel hadn't been there because I couldn't touch the ground."
Ross's mum, Selena, 27, said her son would have died if it has not
been for the heroic efforts of his young rescuer.
Mrs Hunter, of Polwarth, Edinburgh, said: "All of a sudden I heard
this screaming and my heart sank. When I saw him I knew there was
something really wrong because he is a brave boy and he doesn't
usually cry.
"I have taken this as a warning and am never letting him out of my
sight again. I am so grateful to Daniel and can't thank him enough."
Daniel, from Manchester, was on holiday and staying with his aunt
whose home overlooks the canal when the incident happened on Monday.
Treated with respect
His mother, Deirdre, said: "I am so proud of him. It was such a
good thing for him to do because he could have just stood there."
A spokesman for British Waterways, said: "Canals are very enjoyable
places but they should be treated with respect.
"You must keep away from the edge at all times, stick to the tow
path and take the usual safety measures when near water."
Source
- Wednesday, 18
April, 2001
- BBC
-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/1284413.stm
-
A 7-year-old North Las Vegas boy who was mauled by two pit bulls
Sunday prevented the dogs from reaching two of his friends and may have
saved his own life with his quick reaction to the attack, his parents
said.
North Las Vegas Police said Austin Bechtel was playing outside with
two friends near his home in the 400 block of Villa Espana in Rancho Del
Norte Estates when two loose pit bulls attacked him.
Bechtel, whose skull was fractured by a dog bite, took the brunt of
the attack, allowing another 7-year-old and a 3-year-old playmate to
escape to safety.
"My son is a little hero," said Austin's mother, Andrea Hughes.
"And he was so smart he knew he was in great danger and he tucked
himself into a little ball and covered his head with his hands to
prevent them from getting at him."
University Medical Center surgeons were to operate this afternoon to
remove bone fragments in his brain, the boy's parents said.
North Las Vegas Police said the boy suffered numerous head and facial
cuts and already has undergone several emergency operations and plastic
surgery to repair his wounds.
Austin was in fair condition today, a hospital spokesman said,
declining to release any additional information. His parents said he was
playing a video game in his bed this morning and told them that he knows
that "not all dogs are like that."
At Raul P. Elizondo Elementary School, where Austin is a first
grader, Principal Billy Chapman was not surprised at Austin's bravery or
his good sense to cover up and not try to fight back.
Before the attack, Austin had already been named February Student of
the Month for his class.
"He's a loveable kid and practices good citizenship," Chapman said.
"Austin follows his teacher's instructions when it comes to
responsibility. His actions (during the attack) speak very well of him
and can be described as heroic."
This morning a fifth grade art class at the school was making a big
card, which Chapman said he planned to deliver today, among other gifts
and well wishes to Austin.
The pit bulls who attacked the boy were captured and quarantined by
animal control officers at the Dewey Animal Shelter. No one has claimed
them. Police have released photos of the dogs -- one brown, the other
black with white markings -- and are looking for their owners.
Neither dog had tags but they must have had an owner because one dog
was wearing a collar, and the other was dragging a leash from around its
neck, Hughes said.
Potential charges for the owner or owners of the dogs depends on the
outcome of the police investigation, on such things as whether the dogs
were allowed to run loose or had escaped and whether there had been any
prior animal control charges or warnings, authorities said.
"Right now our main concern is that our son comes out of today's
operation well and that he fully recovers both mentally and physically
from the attack," said Sean Hughes. "We are keeping his spirits up, and
he is smiling and laughing.
"If the people who own the dogs are found and held accountable, then
that will be a bonus."
Hughes, a technology manager for a copy firm, said he too was
impressed and proud that Austin had "the maturity of thought" to protect
his throat and belly from the dogs, who according to neighbors, appeared
to be working in unison to try to pick apart the boy's defenses and get
at his vital organs.
One of those neighbors, Jeff Goodrich, saw what was happening, got a
baseball bat and beat the attacking dogs while his Rottweiler-mix,
Hooch, grabbed one of the attacking dog's legs and attempted to pull the
dog off of Bechtel, Hughes said.
Source
- By Ed Koch
LAS VEGAS SUN
- February 26, 2003
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2003/feb/26/514716648.html
Back to Top
7-year-old who saved baby will be honored
A 7-year-old Lacey boy
who recently pulled a baby from a swimming pool will represent Thurston
County as an "everyday hero" next week when Gov. Gary Locke leads a
one-year remembrance of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Jordan Wyman is the son of John and Kim
Wyman, the latter being Thurston County auditor and a Republican.
Jordan, a Cub Scout who tried to avoid
attention for his act, was selected by the three Democrats on the
Thurston County Board of Commissioners, said Don Krupp, the county's top
administrator.
Asked by the baby's father for his name,
Jordan replied that he was just a "Scout from Washington state," Krupp
said, quoting members of the family.
Michael Marchand, a spokesman for Locke,
said commissioners around the state have been asked to select someone
from each of the 39 counties to accompany the governor for the noon
memorial at Westlake Mall, followed by a procession to Seattle Center.
Other South Sound heroes include Shelton
Police Department's 10-member communications department, which was
chosen by Mason County commissioners.
Communications Officer Jill Evander, who
was described by her colleagues as calm and always effective, will
represent the Shelcom unit, which handles dispatching for most of the
county's emergencies.
Jordan Wyman was at a community swimming
center with his grandparents in Jackson Hole, Wyo., on Aug. 21 when he
noticed a baby floating toward the deep end of the pool.
"The water was going up over his
eyes, so I went over, picked him up and took him to his daddy," Jordan
later recounted.
But rather than crow about his
accomplishments, he begged his grandparents to not tell his parents. "My
mom will call the news, make a big deal of it and I will have to be on
TV," he was quoted by his grandparents as saying.
It's a tough break for Jordan, but Kim
Wyman told other elected officials about the incident the day before
Locke's letter arrived, soliciting a hero nominee. Wyman said she was
just "doing the proud mother thing," believing her son's actions were
sweet, when she spoke.
Commissioners immediately went with the
child, Krupp said. "They especially liked the idea of having a young
person go up and represent the county."
Source
-
THE OLYMPIAN
- Saturday, September 7, 2002
-
http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20020907/frontpage/45674.shtml
Back to Top
6-year-old pushes cousin to safety
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- A 6-year-old boy may have
saved his little cousin's life.
One-year-old Stormi Keepers
was pulling out the drawers of a large dresser at the home of
her grandmother, Catty Perryman, when she nearly knocked over
the entire dresser and the large television on top of it.
Among the other eight
grandchildren was her cousin Justin Bishop, who happened to
walk into the room at that point.
''He went walking through
there and saw what was going on. That's when he ran toward her
and pushed her out of the way,'' just as the television was
falling, Perryman said. ''That's quick thinking for a
6-year-old.''
For his deed, Justin received
a sweet reward.
''I bought him all kinds of
ice cream,'' Perryman said.
Source
- The Daily Ardmoreite
-
Wednesday, December 25, 2002
-
http://www.ardmoreite.com/stories/122502/new_savior.shtml
Back to Top
Kids Fighting Crime
TUCKER, Ga. -- Quick thinking by a DeKalb County
teenager may have saved her life, police said Monday.
Two men tried to kidnap the girl near Tucker Middle School Monday night,
police said.
The 14-year-old was on her way home from dance practice when a black van
pulled up, and the men tried to grab her, Police said, adding that the girl
got away when she stabbed one of the men in the arm with a pencil. The girl
was not seriously hurt, police said.
"Thank God, I thank my Father that's she's home, because she could not be
here right now. I could be looking for my baby, so I just thank God that
she's home and she's safe and that's all that matters to me," said Allicia
Brown, the girl's mother. "I'm glad that she just didn't become a victim and
let them take her. She is a very strong strong baby."
Even though their apartment complex is less than a block away from the
school, Brown said she wishes she had been there to pick her daughter up.
Brown told CBS 46 that her daughter recognized the black van and had seen
it near the school last Thursday. Police are looking for the van and the two
men.
A Sacramento boy is being called a hero after tackling a car thief
The incident happened Wednesday morning on the
25-hundred block of Del Paso Boulevard. Mimi Alexander stopped at a donut
shop and left her five-year-old son and six-month-old baby in her car with
the engine running. A few minutes later police say 24-year-old Randy Barnes
jumped in the car and drove off with the children inside. The five-year-old
began choking and punching the suspect so he couldn't steer.
Sgt. Daniel Hahn / Sacramento Police
Dept: "Subsequently he ran into a parked car then took off again, drove
recklessly and even jumped out of the car while it was still moving, with
the children still in it. The car eventually came to a stop running into a
telephone pole."
Barnes has been charged with kidnapping,
stealing a vehicle and violating parole.
Source
-
KOVR 13 /
NEWS AND SPORTS /
NEWS STORY
Posted to the web on 2/23/01 at 7:15 PM
-
http://www.kovr13.com/02feb01/vo022301c.htm
-
-
-
Girl,
10, Fights Off Abductor Near School
Police Search For Abductor's Car
HOUSTON -- A 10-year-old girl was nearly abducted
Thursday afternoon on her way to her east Harris County school, officials
told News2Houston.
The girl, who wanted to remain unidentified, was riding her bike at the
intersection of Mockingbird Lane and Clayton Drive in Baytown when a
stranger approached her. "As I was riding my bike to school, some man was
turning in and he came around and he tried to get me. And when he got me, he
got out of his car and (held) my tire of my bike. And then, after he (held)
my tire, he pushed me off my bike," she said.
The girl said she never panicked when the stranger approached her.
"I tried to get up and he grabbed my ankle. And after he grabbed my
ankle, I kicked him and it hurt him, so he got inside his car and left,"
she said. "I was yelling and I was kicking and I was screaming."
She got back on her bike and rode to James Bowie Elementary School, 2200
Clayton St., where she notified an administrator.
"I thank God that my child is still alive, because these things, that's
all people are doing now -- taking children," said the girl's mother.
Police praised the girl's getaway.
She had some type of plan of action. She did very well. She was very
brave and she was very purposeful in her actions," said Lt. David Alford,
with the Baytown Police Department.
Friday morning, the school plans to send warning letters home with the
students.
The attacker's car is described as a small, light green, four-door with a
large dent on the driver's side. There are also scratches on the trunk and
the vehicle has rusty rims.
Police plan extra patrols in the area, searching for the car.
Source
- October 30, 2003
- Click2Houston.com.
-
http://www.click2houston.com/news/2597815/detail.html
-
Young girl fends
off attacker
Detectives are examining CCTV footage after a man tried to
abduct a 10-year-old girl in Chelmsley Wood.
The incident happened as the girl was pushing her nine-month-old brother
in his pram to a garage in Cooks Lane on Tuesday.
The man, described as aged between 25 and 30, approached the girl outside
the Texaco garage at around 1110 BST.
He grabbed her wrist and the bar of the pram but the youngster kicked
him and he ran off to a car parked at the nearby Big John's restaurant.
The girl was shaken but unhurt and raised the alarm at the garage.
Source
- Wednesday, 27 August, 2003
- BBC
-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/3184507.stm
Back to Top
Small, scared voice
turns to 911 for help
With her mother not home and a stranger at the door, the child
dials for assistance. The mother is charged.
NEW PORT RICHEY -- A 6-year-old girl dialed 911 Monday afternoon, scared
and alone.
Mommy wasn't home when she got home from school, the girl told a
dispatcher, and she was afraid because someone she didn't know knocked on
the family's front door.
When New Port Richey officer Shannon George went to 6827 Porter Road on
Monday afternoon, he found the little girl frightened but unhurt.
The officer said he waited about an hour for the girl's mother, Ivy
Elaine Plummer, to get home. Neither the girl nor the neighbors knew where
Plummer worked as a certified nurse's assistant.
When Plummer arrived, she was angry, police said.
Plummer told police that she left the girl without supervision, the
officer's report said.
"She felt it was none of our business and the child was fine," New Port
Richey Sgt. Glenn Pratt said Tuesday. "To some people, I guess, a 6-year-old
is big enough to be left alone."
Police and state officials didn't think so.
The child was placed into the custody of relatives, said Elaine
Fulton-Jones, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Children and
Families.
Plummer was arrested and charged with felony child neglect. Police also
said that she shut a door on George's foot, and was charged with battery on
a law enforcement officer.
As Plummer was booked into the Land O'Lakes jail, she shoved a
corrections deputy into a wall, according to jail officials. A second
corrections deputy squirted Plummer with a pepper spray-like substance, and
she was charged with a second count of battery on a law enforcement officer.
Plummer was held at the county jail in lieu of $7,500 bail.
Police were unsure whether the girl had been left alone on previous
occasions. Pratt said the child and the mother were lucky that nothing
happened while the girl was home alone.
"At least she was smart enough to call 911," Pratt said.
Source
- By TAMARA LUSH
- St. Petersburg Times
- March 29, 2000
- http://www.sptimes.com/News/032900/news_pf/Pasco/Small__scared_voice_t.shtml
Back to Top
