“I guess I was just in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing,” said firefighter Casey Lessard.
This is the sort of understatement that we’ve come to expect from the men and women who serve as our first responders on the scene of horrific accidents each and every day. Firefighters, EMS, and police officers often seem to think that the incredible acts of valor and empathy they display while on the job are just par for the course; yet to us, these acts make them undeniable heroes.
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Casey Lessard was just doing his job as a firefighter in D’Iberville, Mississippi, when he was called to the scene of a rollover accident on a nearby highway. Vanessa Darnell had been driving with her five children, all of who are under the age of seven when her SUV flipped over on an exit ramp.
Although the two youngest kids were in car seats, the others were unrestrained, so mom and three children were ejected from the vehicle as it rolled over repeatedly. Good Samaritans quickly rushed to the car, called the police, and pulled out the two remaining children.
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Vanessa and four of the children were taken to the hospital in critical condition, but little Gabriel, age four, was left behind to await transport. Chief Gerald Smith observed, “He’s scared because of the incident, but also because he’s by himself.”
Firefighter Casey noticed the child as he lay sobbing on a backboard. He immediately recognized how terrifying this event must be for anyone, much less a little boy who had witnessed his family get injured and taken away just moments before.
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“He knew exactly what was going on, and because he knew what was going on, I tried to take his mind off of it,” Casey said.
Lying down on the hard pavement next to Gabriel, Casey simply started talking to him. “His favorite color is yellow and green. He likes turtles, and he likes ‘Paw Patrol,’”Casey said. “I’m not sure what that is, but it sounds like a cartoon about dog police officers?”
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Here are all these strangers and loud noises, and I only imagine he was hurting every way, so I talked to him and asked him questions. He kept reaching out for a hug, but we couldn’t take him off the backboard because he could have had spinal injuries. He just wanted someone to be there for him.
Bypasser Rick Camarena, who happened to be a former Los Angeles firefighter, handed Casey his cell phone to help distract Gabriel. Casey opened up Netflix and selected the first kids’ movie that appeared: “Happy Feet.”
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As the minutes ticked by, the tender-hearted firefighter managed to calm the little boy using a combination of the movie and conversation, distracting him from what was going on around him. “He was still scared,” Casey said. “He watched (the movie) for a little bit with me, but then he’d go back to fidgeting and worrying about his family.”
A photo of the moment soon hit the internet, where it went viral.
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Even though Casey is grateful for the media attention, he has repeatedly said that he doesn’t think he did anything special that day.
“I just did my job,” Casey said. “I know everyone else in our department would’ve done the same thing. The other firefighters I work with, the EMTs and paramedics, the local cops and good Samaritans did just as much if not more than me when that call came out. I just happened to be the guy in the photo. I’m not really one for all this attention.”
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Gabriel was eventually taken to the hospital and reunited with his family. He received several stitches but was otherwise unharmed. His mother broke her spine but will recover, and the other children are all in stable condition. All in all, the situation could have been even worse for this family that day, and we have the first responders like Casey to thank for that.
Listen to Casey talk about the scene in his own words below, and please share this story to say thank you to those hardworking first responders!
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