5-yr-old woke up to toddler brother's cries after car crash, quickly ran away from car to save him and mom
Teaching young kids the basics of safety and first aid is extremely important. You never know when it might come in handy in critical situations. Brave 5-year-old Lexi Shymanski was familiar with the basics, which was how she saved her mom and infant brother during a car crash in 2015, as per CBS. The young girl was traveling with her mom Angela in the family's SUV from Jasper to their home in Prince George, Canada. While Shymanski was in the back seat of the car, her mom accidentally fell asleep at the wheel while the car was still on the road.
As a result, the SUV swerved down a 12-meter embankment and then slammed into a tree. The car upturned and came to rest on its roof. Shymanski woke up to the cries of her 10-week-old baby brother, per the Royal Canadian Humane Association that recognized Shymanski for her gallantry. At first, Shymanski tried to wake up her mother but it was in vain. Then she decided to take matters into her own hands. She freed herself from the car seat's five-point harness, pushed away the airbag in front of her and kicked through the SUV's door that was jammed.
As Shymanski climbed out of the damaged vehicle, she had no other option but to walk barefoot up the embankment's steep slope and flag down a passing vehicle. Help arrived soon and Angela had to be resuscitated twice on her way to a hospital in Edmonton. The mom sustained a broken back and extensive internal injuries for which she underwent surgery. Meanwhile, Shymanski's infant brother had to stay in the hospital for 6 days to get treated for his injuries. "I just started bawling, I couldn't believe what she had done," Shymanski's dad, Travis, told Inside Edition.
Fortunately, Shymanski escaped the crash with only a scratch on her chin and a sore neck. Later on, the girl was awarded a Bronze Medal for Bravery at a ceremony at Edmonton police headquarters. "Her heroic efforts certainly saved her mother's and brother's life," the police headquarters were quoted as saying by CBS. Travis told the news outlet that a few months before the SUV crash, he and his wife had spoken to their daughter about actions she could take in case of emergencies.
"Prepare your kids," Travis urged. "Don't try and shelter them from anything. It's impressive what they can do and what they retain from the little bit of information that you give them." On the other hand, Shymanski was happy to receive the medal for her brave act and planned to "take it to her school for show and tell." Two other passersby, Lise Lord and Richard Nowicki, who helped with the rescue, were also commended. "They stopped, they got out of their cars, they jumped into airplanes, they pulled car doors open and broke fingers and did all manner of amazing things, frankly, so I think it is pretty significant that you have people react that way and help society as these people did,” acting Edmonton police chief Tony Harder said, per Edmonton Sun.