In today's edition of Hoge’s Heroes, we bring you the story of over two dozen Utah high school kids who lifted a vehicle off a mother and her child who had become trapped after being run over in the parking lot of the school.
We’ll jump straight through to the all-important outcome – both the mom and her baby are expected to survive.
It all went down Tuesday when a driver ran into Bridgette Ponson and her two children, ages two and three, in the parking lot of Layton Christian Academy in Layton, Utah. Although the three-year-old daughter was able to free herself, Ponson and her two-year-old son were left pinned.
Enter the quick-thinking head of school and associate pastor Chris Crowder, who ran into the building and recruited as many kids as he could find to help.
A group of around 30 students immediately rushed outside and, working together, lifted the car just enough for an airman from the Hill Air Force Base to free Ponson and her son. Crowder described the scene:
"I didn’t really know what was going on, I looked across the parking lot and noticed the car, and they were screaming, and so I ran over there, and I looked under the car, and I seen mom and child underneath the car pinned. It was [a] split second," Crowder told KSL. "I immediately just ran into the building because I knew I had to get a lot of people to lift this car."
Watch:
Watch as students lift a car off a mother and her 2-year-old son after they were hit in the Layton Christian Academy high school parking lot. pic.twitter.com/gOYcLVN5DJ
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) December 8, 2023
Crowder:
Girls, boys, it didn't matter…
They just all took a spot in the car and lifted it. We've got to just lift up enough to get them out, and the kids listened. They picked up the car on the one side, probably 20 to 30 kids -- just an inch or two -- enough that the Air Force gentleman was able to pull them out.
The kids were heroes, as well as the gentleman that was there and pulled him out.
You can watch Crowder describe the heroic rescue effort here:
It is unclear why the driver ran into the mother and her children, but police speculate the sun may have been in her eyes. She is reportedly cooperating with investigators, so there doesn't seem to be any sinister intent.
Crowder counted his blessings:
Something so routine can turn tragic really quickly. It's a miracle. We just have seen God do so many things around here -- and this is one.
Ponson was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital while the boy was airlifted. As I said, the good news is that both are expected to survive.
Way to go, quick-acting students and brave airman. And let's not forget to praise Crowder himself, who quickly assembled the team. To the mother and son you rescued, all of you will be heroes forever.
This is one in a series about everyday heroes that don’t necessarily make the front pages. It’s a chance to talk about something other than Joe’s mumblings, Hunter’s depravity, and tragedy in the Middle East.
I’m inviting readers to send me stories of people they know or who they’ve read about who have done heroic acts—large or small, physical or otherwise—that have made someone’s life better or saved them from danger. Please email me with any tips at [email protected] or DM me on Twitter. Thanks!
Previous editions of Hoge's Heroes:
Boss Judge Blasts Abusive Customer's Outburst, Sentences Perp to 2 Months Work at Chipotle
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