A 10-year-old boy got behind the wheel after, on the morning of July 15, his grandfather passed out while driving on the highway, in Dalton, in the US state of Georgia.
Hugh Cox, 68, was traveling at 70 miles per hour and was on the phone with a colleague when he fell into a diabetic coma.
The man, who uses a device to monitor blood glucose levels, had contacted a pharmacy to replace the device as it had stopped working the night before the incident. However, due to a problem with health insurance, it was not possible, reported The Washington Post.
“I didn’t know what was happening and I was scared,” confessed his grandson, Drake Linn, who was accompanying his grandfather in collecting a boat.
Cox’s co-worker, who was still on the line, advised the boy to call his mother, Jessica Linn. She, in turn, instructed her son to sit on his grandfather’s lap, hold the steering wheel and pull the vehicle over to the side of the road, as he was used to driving golf carts and quad bikes under the observation of adults.
“I was in the middle of the road and I didn’t know where I was, so I drove for a kilometer,” said the child.
After pulling over, Drake contacted emergency services and described what had happened. “I’m very scared. I don’t want him to die,” he admitted, tearfully.
Authorities quickly arrived at the scene, as did the boy’s mother. About 20 minutes after being administered intravenous fluid, Cox began to feel better and was able to return home with her daughter.
“I usually go alone to get the boats… I asked him if he wanted to go and we went. I’m glad I had it with me. I’m very proud of him,” he said.
Sheriff Mitch Ralston of the Gordon County Sheriff’s Office was so impressed with the child that on his 11th birthday he gave him an award for his courage, which was accompanied by a cap, a t-shirt, shirt and four tickets to an Atlanta Braves baseball game.
“We wanted to do something for him, because it not only saved his life and his grandfather’s, but also the lives of some motorists. This kid is a hero, without a doubt”, highlighted Ralston.
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