Justin Gaven was headed to the drugstore to pick up some items when he encountered the unthinkable.
Swerving down the street he noticed a car… on fire!
When the car stopped – the teen raced to help – and his heroic actions go above and beyond the call of duty.
You see, the teen could have panicked and froze in fear.
After all – seeing a burning car is horrifying.
He could have gone and sought help – as he is just a young boy – not a firefighter.
Running up to a burning car is dangerous – there’s no telling if the car will explode or what else could happen.
And let’s be honest, no one expects a young teen boy to put his own life in danger to save another.
But instead of running from danger – the boy ran to it.
Thinking quickly, he gave instructions to those trapped inside.
Today reported:
“Gavin was scared the car might explode, but raced to help anyway. The door handle in the back was hot to the touch, he recalls, and he quickly asked the 9-year-old child to please unbuckle her younger siblings, ages 4 and 1, from their seatbelt and car seat so he could carry them to safety. Then he helped the mom out of the driver’s seat. It’s believed the fire was started by some type of electrical failure, according to Gavin.”
His quick thinking saved the lives of a mother and her young children.
He was smart to instruct the older child to help get the young ones unbuckled – so he could rescue them first.
Because of his heroic actions, the Chief of Police awarded him a “Challenge Coin” – an award usually reserved for police officers.
And his brave response has inspired people all around the country at how good can come from a tragedy.
The sweetest part of all is Gavin has been humble through all the national attention, and wants to shatter the stereotype that teens are just self-serving and lazy.
Today continued:
“Some people think teens are just lazy, but that’s not true,” he said. “I wouldn’t consider myself a hero; I’d just want someone to help me if I was in that situation and that’s why I ran to the car…This was really about someone else’s well-being, not mine.”
With so many stories today about teens falling prey to gangs and violence or drugs and alcohol – it’s always refreshing to hear about cases where teens are doing good.
Justin’s attitude is sure to take him far in life – as he has truly learned at a young age to value others higher than himself.
If all of us lived this way, the world would be a kinder place.
Cheers to this brave young man for saving a mother and her children!
What could have been an unthinkable tragedy was stopped by a young brave teen who took swift action when given the opportunity.
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