A New Milford High School student in New Jersey prevented a potentially tragic crash when he managed to safely stop a car driven by his friend, who has epilepsy. The incident happened in early September, as James Byrnes and Max Kelly were returning from football practice. When Kelly had a seizure, Byrnes took control of the vehicle and brought it to a safe stop, even though he doesn’t have so much as a learner’s permit.
James and Max have known each other since early childhood. They attend New Milford High School together and play on the school’s football and baseball teams.
On the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 2, Kelly was driving the car in which the teens planned to go to Chipotle right after practice. At some point, the teen behind the wheel began acting strangely.
“He looked confused, and then his head tilted back. His mouth opened very wide. It looked like a yawn, but at the same time it sounded like a scream,” Byrnes recounted.
The seizure struck as the car was near a T-shaped intersection. During the episode, Kelly’s foot pressed down even harder on the gas pedal, and the car began accelerating toward a nearby house. James immediately grabbed the steering wheel, swerved sharply to the right, pushed his friend’s foot off the gas pedal and engaged the parking brake. Thanks to the high schooler’s quick reaction, the car was stopped and a collision with the building was avoided. The teen then called 911 and stayed at the scene until help arrived.
After the seizure, Kelly was unaware of what had happened. “He didn’t know where he was, who I was or who he was himself. I tried to calm him down, tell him who I was, where he was and what had just happened,” Byrnes said.
Max later said he doesn’t remember the incident itself and had never experienced a similar seizure before. Tests carried out at the hospital showed no abnormalities that would explain its cause.
Editor: JŁ
Source: Nowy Dziennik
