A 12-year-old boy from South Wales has been hailed a hero after taking control of his mother's car when she lost consciousness at the wheel on a busy dual carriageway.
A Terrifying Journey Takes a Sudden Turn
Zac Howells was travelling with his 37-year-old mother, Nicola Crump, from their home in Ebbw Vale, South Wales, to a Christmas market at Wellesbourne Airfield in Warwickshire last Saturday. They had set off early at 5.30am, planning to stop for breakfast on the way.
However, during the journey on the A40 near Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire, Nicola began to feel severely unwell. "I wound my window down and managed to take my coat off. I could feel myself going, I was in buckets of sweat," she recalled. She managed to warn Zac she was feeling ill before attempting to pull over.
Calm Under Extraordinary Pressure
With no proper hard shoulder, only a small verge, Nicola could not get the car fully out of the live lane before she fainted. Her foot remained on the accelerator, sending the vehicle across lanes at around 60mph.
Displaying remarkable presence of mind, Zac leaned across from the passenger seat, grabbed the steering wheel, and guided the car onto a grassy central reservation to slow it down. He then immediately called 999 for emergency help.
"I was really scared but I knew I had to do something," Zac said. While on the phone, he checked his mother was breathing and, using the car's stop-start button, managed to turn off the engine to prevent any further danger to passing traffic.
Recognition for Remarkable Bravery
Nicola was unconscious for approximately eight minutes before emergency services arrived. She has since been informed she fainted due to low blood pressure and is awaiting further cardiology tests before she can drive again.
In recognition of his courageous actions, West Mercia Police have invited Zac to their headquarters to present him with a formal certificate for his bravery.
"He literally saved our lives and who knows who else's lives," a grateful Nicola stated. "Thank God he thought so quickly and was so brave because we both could've died. His quick thinking, the way he stayed so calm... he was just unbelievable."
