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Deanie Wimmer ReportingA game of Hide and Seek today could have had a tragic outcome for a four-year old boy. It's another reminder for us all about the need to be careful with kids and cars.
Robyn Stone, Neighbor: "Everyone was out looking, calling his name, up and down, anywhere we could think of."
Neighbors tried not to panic when four-year-old Taylor Harris disappeared.
"I looked in my car, in the back of my car, everywhere I could think of at my house."
Rachael Harris, Mom: "Sometimes as a parent, when you have something bad happen, you automatically go to the worst case scenario. And I just couldn't allow myself to get to that point yet."
Robyn Stone: "I thought, ‘I've got to do something, I've got to get in the car and go.' I just said a little prayer asking for him to help me find him and let him be ok. I thought I was crazy but I could hear him crying."
She wasn't crazy. He had crawled underneath her car and was holding on for dear life to the shaft between the wheels, near the spare tire.
Robyn Stone: "I looked down and I just pulled him out as fast as I could and held him out, made sure he was all together."
"He'd climbed up underneath the back of a minivan, underneath a spare tire. He was hiding. When the neighbor went to look there, he was still underneath there holding on for dear life. And the van traveled a mile-and-a-half," says Mapleton Police Chief Dean Pedersen.
Rachel Harris: "There wasn't a scratch on him, he wasn't hurt. We all just stood in absolute shock. I still can't believe he held on that tight, but bless his heart, he made it. And we believe it was a miracle from Heavenly Father that helped him hold and there must have been angels helping him hold on. We learned a valuable lesson today that no place is too small for a child to hide."
It's hard to suggest how you could prevent something like this, but to help your kids Stay Safe, police in this case say it's a good rule to walk around your car before you drive it. When kids are around, roll down the window so you can hear. And, as they did here, involve neighbors and police quickly as soon as you realize a child is missing.
