Five-year-old girl praised for rescuing her baby brother after a terrible car crash

Editor's note: This article was originally published on December 30, 2022. It has since been updated.

In moments of crisis, when faced with threats to ourselves or our loved ones, it is not uncommon for our survival instincts to take over. One young girl’s harrowing experience shows that this instinct knows no age. The girl, five, whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy, is being hailed as a hero after saving the lives of her two younger brothers, aged one and two.

CNN reports that the girl and her family were driving in Kondinin early on Christmas morning when their car crashed. In the collision, their parents, Cindy Braddock, 25, and Jake Day, 28, were killed. The family was reported missing, but the five-year-old and her two siblings were left stranded at the roadside wreck for more than two days in temperatures nearing 90 degrees before being found by authorities. 

Michael Read, a relative, told Nine News that the five-year-old girl freed her smallest brother from his child seat and saved his life. He said, “The one-year-old got unstuck, and then got the one-year-old out of the car seat, basically they were stuck in the car for the 55 hours.”

According to police, the children were severely dehydrated when they were rushed to the hospital.

The little town of Kondinin is in a state of shock following the catastrophe. Helen Whitbread, a close friend of Braddock, was supposed to catch up with him after the holiday but instead is now mourning her friend. "This town's never going to be the same without them. Cindy's done an awesome job with the babies and now they're not going to have a mum,” Ms. Whitebread stated.

In light of the accident, caution is again advised on country routes. Cam Dumesny from the Western Roads Federation said, "We've got to improve our road safety in this state. Too many families have been impacted, it is tragic, we need to do better." 

With their lives irrevocably changed, the three siblings hold tight to one another, their shared ordeal a poignant reminder of their enduring connection and strength. The children were last reported to be in stable condition and were expected to be released soon.

In a similar story, on December 27, 2020, Rose Andresen was traveling with her husband, Adam Terrell, when he abruptly passed out behind the wheel. Near Jacksonville, Florida, the couple crashed off the side of Interstate 10. Andresen had to climb through the crashed car to look for help and a stranger stopped by to help them. Later, Andresen took the help of social media to find the person who saved her husband's life.