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SALT LAKE CITY -- The quick action of three teenage boys may have saved the life of a 2-year-old Sandy boy who was backed over in the driveway of his home Thursday morning. It's another example from this week of perfect strangers jumping in to help, with actions that were heroic.
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Sandy teens lift car, rescue toddler
Three Sandy teens are being hailed as heroes for lifting a car off a toddler who was struck in the driveway of his home Thursday morning.You could see the emotion in the faces the three teenage boys. The toddler they helped rescue was pinned underneath the car after being dragged for about 15 feet in the driveway. The teens lifted the car up until the boy could be freed.
"I'm still kind of in shock, ‘cause it all happened in a matter of seconds," James Anderson said.
"We just picked it up, didn't think about it; [it] just happened," said Keaton Critchlow.
"It was just a natural reaction," Branden Estrada said. "We had to do it."
Police say 2-year-old Isaac Johnson's condition could have been much worse if the teens hadn't come to his rescue.
But the boys are not alone in stepping in during a moment of crisis. On Monday night, several off-duty medical personnel stopped at the scene of that terrible accident involving Japanese tourists. One of the Good Samaritans was a nurse who is a month away from having a baby.
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Nurse describes scene of tour bus accident
Many are crediting people who stopped to help the injured at the scene of a tour bus rollover near Cedar City Monday night, saying the outcome could have been much worse."It's nice to see people out there care, and they want to help," says Susan Thomas, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross of Greater Salt Lake.
Each year, the Utah region of the American Red Cross honors people who help others. Most acts of heroism occur quietly.
The Red Cross believes ordinary people willing to step in and lend a hand, usually on a moment's notice, makes them a hero. Their unselfish actions can make a big difference in someone else's life.
"These people just jump in and help. They don't think about it. They are not wanting recognition. In fact, many of them argue they are a hero," Thomas said. "Almost all of our Red Cross Heroes every year say, ‘I am not a hero. I just did what anyone would have done.'"
The Red Cross accepts nominations for its Hero program throughout the year and honors them in the spring. We've simply shared just a couple of examples of ordinary Utahns who have done extraordinary things to help save lives.
CLICK HERE if you would like to nominate someone as a Red Cross Hero.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
