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Nine-year-old boy saves brother from serious car accident

Nine-year-old boy saves brother from serious car accident

IONIA COUNTY, Mich. – Three people were injured in a fiery crash in Ionia County last Thursday. Fortunately, everyone is safe.

The adult male driver, a nine-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl were in the car at the time of the accident. The hero is the nine-year-old boy himself, Phillip Clark.

Phillip was sleeping in the backseat next to his three-year-old stepsister Ayla. “Ayla started crying after she realized we had been in a car accident, and my heart dropped when I heard her crying,” Phillip said.

Within moments, the car crashed into a tree and immediately caught fire.

The man driving the car was Ayla’s father. He broke his leg in a collision, meaning he was unable to save his daughter. Phillip was also injured, but he knew what to do. “I climbed over Ayla, got her out of the car, got her to safety, and then we watched the car kind of burn out,” Phillip said.

Despite Phillip’s injuries, he determined that Ayla’s life was more important than his. “If we hadn’t gotten out of there, we would have been on fire,” Phillip said.

Two Good Samaritans helped Ayla’s father out of the car before it completely burned down.

Ayla’s mother, Alexandria, is forever grateful to Phillip. “I honestly owe that child my whole life because he saved my baby,” Alexandria said.

When Alexandria first arrived on the scene, she didn’t know if she would ever see her daughter again. “Once I saw the car, the only thing going through my mind was the death of my child. There is no way my child made it,” Alexandria said.

Phillip spent several days in the hospital and required surgery. “I had a perforated intestine,” Phillip said. “I have a scar that runs from my waist to just above my belly button.”

Phillip is recovering from surgery at home, and Ayla’s father, who broke his femur, is recovering with him.

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