Love and kindness may change a person’s life. But heroic actions taken at the right moment can save one’s live. We do not need to force ourselves to act as an angel but all that we should choose the kindness whenever we can. The brave action of 18-year-old Connecticut teen Justin Gavin in recent days has gone viral. He saved the lives of a mother and her three children by pulling them out of their burning car. Let’s scroll down to know more!
By the time Justin Gavin, aged 18, was walking down a street in Connecticut, he saw a small SUV covered in flames drive past him. He even spotted a little girl in the car window. Many drivers behind the SUV also identified this. They immediately honked their horns and even got out of their cars to let the mother driving the car know that it was in flames. As the mother could not stop her burning car, Gavin decided to take matters into his own hands and sprung into action. He chased the vehicle down and pulled the mother and her three children out of the burning car. This saved their lives, CNN reports.
Speaking after the incident, the heroic teen said: “I’m yelling, ‘Stop the car! Your car is on fire! Your car is on fire!'”. When he realized the mom could not stop the car, he didn’t hesitate spring into action. “I just felt like if I was in that situation, I would want somebody to help me out,” Gavin said. “I guess my instincts took over.” Gavin chased the burning car down. When he finally reached it, it had stopped. He made an rescue. First, he helped the mother climb out of the driver’s seat. Then, he pulled the three children in the back seat out to safety as well as the flames grew bigger and bigger. Thankfully, they are all ok now.
Just moments later his rescue, the car was completely burst into flames. Gavin said that, “It kind of got scary because I didn’t know whether I was going to be able to get everyone out in time. And luckily, I did.” Now, the mother credits Gavin with saving her and her children’s lives, officials stated.
The 18-year-old’s act of bravery was recognized. Gavin was honored by the Waterbury Police Department as a hero. Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo awarded him with a “challenge coin” in order to acknowledge his courageous act. As Gavin accepted the token of appreciation and shook the Chief’s hand, he had a wide smile on his face.
Chief Spagnolo affirmed, “I hope that when you have that coin it just reminds you of this day and you can reflect back on all the good that came out of this for you and that family that you saved.” For Gavin, the experience was priceless to him and changed his outlook of life. It reminded him of how little time he has in this life to make a positive difference. He said, “It made me realize life is short.”
Image Credit: Waterbury Police Department.