The nicest thing I remember doing for my dad when I was 19 was buying him a new set of grilling utensils. He loved that set, and used it to cook delicious meals for years. Wait—come to think of it, someone else gave him those. I guess I don’t remember the nicest thing I did for my dad when I was 19, because the nicest thing I did for my dad when I was 19 wasn’t even as memorable as a set of grilling utensils, let alone as saving his life during a house fire by lifting a truck off him.
NBC Washington reports: a 19-year-old Virginia woman named Charlotte Heffelmire did just that. In the Final Destination-like series of events, Heffelmire’s father became trapped under his truck after a jack slipped; the falling truck caused a gasoline spill, and the gasoline spill caught fire. After 10 minutes, Charlotte burst into the garage and started lifting the damn truck off her father like a character in a Marvel movie who’s slowly discovering her superpowers.
Writes NBC:
“I felt the weight shift, and I said, ‘You almost got it,’ and then it was just UGHHHHHHRRR, and suddenly I’m pulled out,” Eric Heffelmire said.
Then, his daughter realized the truck’s gas tank would explode and could engulf the house in flames. She jumped in the driver’ seat and gunned the truck sideways on its three remaining wheels, away from the house.
She then grabbed a garden hose and began spraying down the house before firefighters arrived.
Last week, Charlotte received the Citizen Lifesaving Award by Fairfax County fire department for her heroic actions. She has already “earned a place at the U.S. Air Force Academy,” but injuries she sustained while saving her father’s life have “kept her from returning.” Fortunately—and expectedly—she’s got a great ‘tude about the whole thing.
“If I can’t do any of the military branches, then probably just intelligence or government work,” she said. “Right now I’m just healing up and making sure the family is OK.”
Contact the author at bobby@jezebel.com.
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