Peacefully napping in the back seat, 5 year old Caleb Taylor woke up to see that his mom was no longer driving–she was having a seizure! “Mama, are you OK? Mama are you OK?” Caleb asked. “And then I unbuckled and turned the car off,” he said.
Caleb climbed into the front seat, put the car in neutral, then steered to the side of the road. He then got out, flagged down a passing motorist to call 911.
When an interviewer asked Caleb what his superhero nickname would be, Caleb responded, “Caleb Batman!” Move over, Christian Bale!
Kindergartner Angelica Riggins had recently attended a demonstration at her school about what to do in case of a fire. So, when her dad, Kenneth Riggins ran into her room at 2:00 AM, shouting for her to get out of the house, she knew exactly what to do. “The smoke was everywhere, so I crawled under it and out of the house, just like Sparkles (the fire safety dog) taught me,” she said.
She ran to the home of a neighbor who called 911. When the fire department arrived minutes later, she told them what had happened, and that she didn’t know where her father went. “He might still be in the house,” she told them.
Kenneth Riggins had gone back into the house to search for his daughter’s playmate, who he thought might still be staying with them. Firefighters found him unconscious on the living room floor. They pulled him from the house just as the back half of the home erupted in flames. Had Angela not run to the neighbors for help and alerted firefighters, her dad may not have survived.
Chloe Olson was at home with her mom, who was talking on the phone and munching on potato chips. Her mom began choking and hung up the phone. When her choking got worse, Chloe, remembering an educational video her dad had shown her about calling 911 in emergencies, did just that. Thinking that by calling 911 she would be talking to her father, she called for help.
“Daddy, mommy’s choking,” Chloe said.
The 911 dispatcher confirmed the address and kept Chloe calm while alerting police.
“Can you open the front door and I’ll get help over to you?” he said.
“OK,” Chloe responded.
“OK, open the front door and we’ll be right there,” Shore told her.
“Love you,” Chloe said. “Bye.”
Chloe received a police commendation for her bravery.
Riley Braden was spending a hot summer day in the hotel swimming pool when she saw a toddler walk over. “Then, as soon as I turned away — bloop! — she fell in,” Riley said.
Even at 5, Riley was a strong swimmer. The toddler’s parents were lounging by the pool, fully dressed, and there was no lifeguard. Riley decided she had to act quickly. So she dove down about three feet and retrieved the child from the bottom. “When I brought her up, I shouted, ‘I’ve got the baby! I’ve got the baby!'”
Riley had been taking swimming lessons since she was 2, and her parents are both former search-and-rescue divers. So she knew what to do. That toddler was lucky to have Riley Braden nearby!
Riley received the Girl Scouts Lifesaving Award for her bravery, as well as a key to the city in a special ceremony. She knows what she wants to be when she grows up: “A lifesaver,” she says.
And, for extra credit, a 4-year-old!
Micah Knerl, age 4, was playing in the living room with his little brothers, Matthias, age 3, and Moses, 11 months. Their mom had just left the room to get a cookbook when Micah came after her with a serious look on his face.
“Mom, Baby Moses needs help,” Micah said firmly. His mom didn’t hear the baby crying, so assumed there was no real problem. But Micah insisted, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the living room. There she found Moses standing on his tiptoes, leaning against the back of the sofa, with a window-blind cord wrapped tightly around his neck. His face was a reddish-purple color, his eyes were bloodshot, and he didn’t appear to be breathing.
She removed the cord from Moses’ neck, and he began breathing. His only injuries were marks on his neck from the cord. “Thank goodness Micah came to get me so quickly,” she says. “He saved Moses’s life!”
