High school students spot a mom and her baby pinned underneath a car and come together to rescue them

Vigilance and kindness go a long way to making life-saving and inspiring examples for many. KSL TV shared the story of high school kids from Layton Christian Academy who bravely and astutely managed to save the lives of a mother and her 2-year-old son after a tragic accident. Chris Crowder, associate pastor and CEO of the school, is the one who called all the teenagers from inside the school to come help. The schoolchildren heard the plea for help and rushed to the school’s parking lot, where the mishap took place. The mother also had a 3-year-old girl, who was fortunately able to free herself.

Crowder recalled that he heard screaming and was unaware of what was going on. He went over to the parking lot to see the woman and her son pinned under the car. “It was a split second. I immediately just ran into the building because I knew I had to get a lot of people to lift this car. We have about 220 domestic kids and over 300 international kids at the school. They just heard me yell. All these kids from different countries just come running out and lift it,” the pastor added. The kids rushed at the call of the pastor, and the surveillance camera successfully captured the heroic act. The pastor mentioned that the kids readily volunteered to help and there were just enough students to help lift the car.

“They picked up the car on one side, 20 to 30 kids, just an inch or two, enough for the air force gentleman (who) was able to pull them out. The kids were heroes, as well as the gentleman that was there and pulled them out,” Crowder said. The trio were rushed to the hospital. While the mother suffered severe injuries and was expected to undergo surgery, the kids were safe for the most part. “Mom took the brunt of it being under the car,” Crowder said. “The car was resting on mom and she had (her boy) in her arms and I think she protected him,” the airman said. KSL News shared a clip of an interview with the high school students.

One of the boys said, “I just saw them under the car and the mother was like, ‘Help, help, help.’” Another kid said, “It was a relief. I didn’t grasp the realness of the situation till I saw the kid gasping. I know we look like the type that wouldn’t be able to lift a car, but we did it.” The kids mentioned that they were strangers before the event but bonded later on. “It shows the togetherness of the school,” one student said. The airman credited all the honor to the students for their valor. “They are the purest form of the word ‘hero.’ They deserve every bit of praise they're getting because what they did is not easy to do,” he said.

In an Instagram post, the school shared that the family were the Ponsons and that they would be okay. They also set up a GoFundMe page for the family to help with medical bills and other requirements. In another article, Andrew Ponson, the woman's husband, thanked the school for their help. He mentioned that he and his wife both work at the school and it was a miracle that they were saved. “They came and introduced life and they introduced love and hope and peace into this scenario with their generosity, their kindness and compassion,” Ponson said.