Dad ‘blacked out’ while driving into oncoming traffic—son pulled up plan within ‘three seconds’ and saved everyone
It is a nail-biting situation to suddenly find yourself in danger while putting the lives of others at risk, too. 15-year-old Prazel Magar and his dad found themselves in this terrifying position while in their vehicle near Quadrant Road in Florence. Suffering a medical episode, the dad suddenly “blacked out” while he was driving, WLWT reported. His son was in the seat beside him and saw that they were headed straight into oncoming traffic. He had no time, his dad’s leg was fixated on the accelerator and there was no telling what was to follow. A split-second decision taken by the teenager saved every life present there.
Magar noted that his dad has had a history of suffering seizures. Unfortunately, he experienced an episode while driving. The teenager noticed only when the car started going off the lane unusually. When he turned around, he saw his dad unconscious. "He just blacked out and then we kept on going," the 15-year-old recalled. In that moment, when everything felt like a blur, the boy had to make a move and fast. It was his, his dad's, and the lives of many others at stake, all in a matter of moments. “And then from our right side, cars were coming in. And then I realized I was given three seconds to think, like, what am I going to do?" he recounted.
He couldn’t stop the car as the dad’s foot was still on the accelerator. With limited options, Magar finally made a decision — one that saved everybody. He quickly turned the steering wheel away from the oncoming traffic so that the car drifted off the road. It went and hit a store — A Cottage Collection. Luckily, no one on the road or in the building was injured. Ray Imhoff, the owner of the store, was confused when he heard the loud crash. “I didn't know what was going on and I heard a big bang. I just thought it was another wreck. You know this is a busy corner. And then I came outside and there was a car over our ramp,” he remarked.
Thanks to the teenager’s action, no one was hurt. Imhoff, too, noted that though his store was hit, he was glad that no one was hurt. “We’re very proud of him,” he said of Magar. The dad had no recollection of the situation when he regained consciousness. "He was like, 'Where am I? Where are we?' And I'm like, 'What do you mean? We just crashed.' And he's like, 'We crashed? What? Oh, should we reverse?' And I'm like, 'No, no, no. We need to call the police,” Magar recalled. Fortunately, the duo, too, were fine and managed to settle things.
He is exceptionally grateful that he happened to be accompanying his dad that day. The 15-year-old was terrified to think what would have happened if no one had been with the dad when he suffered the seizure. "What if I just didn't go to the gym? Or like, what if I didn't go with him? He would have just tragically ... yeah,” he said. The little hero can rest knowing he saved multiple lives with his astuteness.