Sometimes you have to think fast. For 15-year-old Dalin Wilkinson, his fast thinking helped save a life.
Dalin and his father were working on his father’s work truck – something they do often. But one fateful Monday it was not their usual routine check on the vehicle.
As they were working on the truck recently, Dalin’s father Matthew Wilkinson noticed that the rotor was not working properly. It was stuck.
“I couldn’t get a good angle, so I slid my body underneath the truck and was hitting it,” Matthew said. “The second it popped off, the truck fell. I know it rolled forward because I saw it roll forward and it fell right on top of me. All I could think about was the breath coming out of me. I was just squished. I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t yell.”
The California family’s home security cameras recorded the incident. Dalin will never forget the experience.
“It just dropped right on him,” Dalin said. “I was scared. I heard him make a noise like his soul was leaving his body. It was crazy.”
This was definitely a scary situation and one where panic could set in. Thankfully, Dalin sprung into action despite his fear and was strong enough to get the job done.
“I just ran over and tried as hard as I could to get it up enough to get him out,” said Dalin.
Dalin was able to lift the truck just enough for his father to roll from underneath it. The accident left Matthew with broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a separated shoulder.
Looking back, Dalin says he was worried that he didn’t help enough, but now he’s just glad his father is OK.
Matthew was taken to the hospital for his injuries. Everything happened so fast, he couldn’t remember how he became un-trapped. Here’s where the security footage came in handy.
“I called my kid and had him look at the surveillance camera and they realized that he lifted the truck enough for me to roll out,” Matthew said.
He is ever-grateful for his son’s actions. The whole family is thankful that Matthew is okay.
“My son is my hero,” said Matthew. “He saved my life.”
We are grateful, too, for Dalin’s bravery and quick thinking in a situation that could have easily ended differently were it not for his quick response.
Share this story to celebrate Matthew’s recovery and Dalin’s heroic efforts.
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