Heroic high schoolers save mom : High school students in Utah lift car to rescue mother and children

Accident – Death – Obituary News : High School Students Lift Car to Rescue Mother and Children in Utah

A group of high school students in a town just north of Salt Lake City, Utah, are being hailed as heroes after they joined forces to lift a car that had run over a mother and her two children. The remarkable rescue took place on Tuesday in the parking lot of Layton Christian Academy and was captured on surveillance video.

The footage showed dozens of students surrounding the car and lifting it up, while more teens rushed over to assist. The mother was with her three-year-old daughter and two-year-old son when they were struck by a car in the school’s parking lot. The three-year-old girl managed to free herself from underneath the car, but the mother and son remained trapped.

In a video interview with KSLTV, Chris Crowder, the associate pastor and CEO of the school, described how he noticed the crash and immediately called for help. “I looked across the parking lot and noticed the car and they were screaming, so I ran over there and I saw the mom and child pinned underneath the car,” he said.

Realizing that he needed more people to lift the car, Crowder ran into the school building and called for assistance. He was amazed at the response from the students, who came together regardless of their gender or nationality. “All these kids from different countries heard me yell. Girls, boys, it didn’t matter. They all took a spot in the car and lifted it,” Crowder said.

Approximately 20 to 30 students participated in the effort to lift the car, managing to raise it about “an inch or two” off the ground. It was at this point that Dominique Childress, a parent who was present at the scene, pulled the mother and son free. Childress, a senior airman from the nearby Hill Air Force Base, recounted how the mother had been holding her son and shielding him underneath the car. “Once we were holding the car high enough, she was able to get up and kind of hold the car on her back as we were lifting,” he said.

After the family was rescued, it was discovered that the two-year-old boy was unconscious and had a “purple” face, although he was still breathing. He was immediately airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he received treatment and was subsequently released. Remarkably, he did not sustain any serious injuries.

The mother and her three-year-old daughter were also taken to a local hospital by ambulance. While the three-year-old escaped with minor injuries, the mother has undergone multiple surgeries since the accident. Fortunately, she is expected to survive, according to school officials.

The mother has been identified as Bridgette Ponson, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover the family’s medical expenses. As of Friday afternoon, the campaign has raised $30,000 out of its $35,000 goal.

Authorities with the Layton police department reported that the driver of the car, an adult woman, claimed she was blinded by the sun and did not see the mother and her two children crossing the road. The driver is cooperating with the police investigation, and it was noted that she even assisted in lifting the vehicle during the rescue.

Chris Crowder expressed his pride in the students at Layton Christian Academy for their heroic actions. “The kids were heroes, as well as the gentleman that was there and pulled them out,” he said. Dominique Childress echoed this sentiment, stating that the students represented “the purest form of the word hero.” He added, “They deserve every single bit of praise and worship that they’ve gotten because what they did was not easy for a teenager to do.”

The heartwarming story of the high school students’ bravery and selflessness has garnered attention and praise from around the world. Their actions serve as a reminder of the power of unity and compassion in the face of adversity..