Parents trust that the person they entrust with the task of watching their child will not only entertain them but also protect them as if they were their own child.
On March 28, a California couple called their long-time nanny to watch their 2-year-old son. They knew she cared a lot for their little boy, but they had no idea just how much until they heard what she did to save their family from tragedy…
A Last-Minute Request
On March 28, 2017, Courtney Davis and Bill Wolkoff desperately needed someone to watch their 2-year-old son, Fox. Even though it was the last minute, they reached out to Caroline Maurer, who had watched Fox for them since he was just 4 months old.
The Nanny
Courtney had worked for the couple for a long time but stepped back from nannying full-time so that she could focus on her studies. Yet when she got the call from Courtney and Bill and heard that they needed someone to watch Fox for the day, she was happy to help them out…
Enjoying The Spring Weather
So, on that Tuesday morning, Caroline made her way over to the couple’s home in Atwater Village, a residential neighborhood in Los Angeles. Shortly after she arrived, Caroline decided to get Fox out of the house by taking him for a walk around the neighborhood.
Heading Home
While on the walk, Caroline and Fox were enjoying their time outside in the warm spring weather. At around 10 a.m., however, Caroline had walked around most of the neighborhood and started making her way back to the family’s home…
The 4-Way Intersection
About a block away from Courtney and Bill’s home, Caroline stopped at a 4-way intersection, looked in every direction to make sure there were no vehicles coming, and then started walking and pushing Fox’s stroller out into the empty crosswalk.
A Careless Driver
Caroline made sure it was safe to cross the road, however, after stepping a few feet out into the street, a car came out of nowhere, blew a stop sign, and made a left turn towards Caroline and Fox. Caroline tried to scream at the driver to get him to stop, but it didn’t work…
A Chilling Realization
“It was going to be him hit since he was kind of more in front of me,” Caroline said about the terrifying moment she realized the driver was about to hit Fox in his stroller since it was further out in the intersection. “So, as the car turned in – I was screaming, ‘Stop! Stop!’”
The Split-Second Decision
When the car failed to slow down, Caroline’s instincts kicked in and she made the split-second decision to sacrifice herself to save Fox. As the car shot around the corner, Caroline pushed the stroller as hard as she could and lunged forward to get Fox out of the car’s path…
An Incredible Sacrifice
Just as the car was about to hit them, Caroline stuck her arms out and flung her body in between the car and the stroller in a last-ditch effort to keep Fox from being harmed. As Caroline had hoped, her selfless act kept Fox from being directly hit, but she wasn’t so lucky.
Crushing Contact
The car hit Caroline, crushed her bones, and finally sent her flying through the air. “The car came and crushed my hands, the front bumper – and I was thrown a few feet, I don’t know,” said Caroline, who thankfully survived the accident but was badly injured in the process…
The Traumatic Damage
Caroline’s arms, wrists, and hands were completely crushed by the car, yet all she cared about was trying to comfort Fox, who was in shock. “Fox was strapped in and I couldn’t get him out because my hands were crushed and I was on the ground,” the traumatized nanny explained.
Help Finally Arrives
“He was screaming, ‘Nanny Caroline, I love you,’ which was breaking my heart because I couldn’t hold him,” Caroline said. A few minutes later, paramedics arrived at the scene and realized what Caroline did for Fox when they saw that he miraculously only had a few superficial scrapes and bruises…
A True Hero
“One of the paramedics on the scene told me that Caroline had saved Fox’s life,” said Bill and Courtney, who couldn’t believe what Caroline did for their family. “Caroline is a true hero, and we are forever grateful to her for saving our son’s life.”
The Injuries
Caroline was rushed to the hospital where doctors were able to determine that she had multiple fractures throughout her hands, wrists, and arms. A team of doctors performed multiple surgeries during her 2.5-week hospital stay, but warned her that she may never make a full recovery…
Life On Hold
Because Caroline’s hands, wrists, and arms were so weak, she wasn’t even allowed to start physical therapy until 3 months after the accident, which meant her entire life, including her job and her studies, were put completely on hold.
Supporting Their Hero
After Bill and Courtney heard about what Caroline was going through, they decided to raise money to help her pay for her medical bills and living expenses. According to the couple, it was the least they could do for the hero that saved their son’s life…
The Fundraiser
“We want to help her however we can, and we hope that this fundraiser can help with her medical and living expenses as she continues her recovery,” the couple explained on their YouCaring page, which had raised just over $48,000 for Caroline so far.
A Part Of The Family
“As a mom, you give your kid to somebody else… your hope and your dream is that they’re going to treat your kid like their own. I’m just so grateful to her,” Courtney said. “I think my first reaction was: She’s family for the rest of our lives,” Bill added. “Because of Caroline, the worst didn’t happen. She saved his life…”
The Healing Process
For Caroline, the recovery process has been extremely challenging, especially since she might be left with permanent damage in her arms and hands. “I struggled because of hospitals, physical limitations, pain, lack of energy, and the weird inability to trust my body will stand up, or my brain won’t have me cry at an intersection … The healing process has felt embarrassingly slow, amorphous, lonely, and unpredictable – so I just kept swimming,” Courtney explained in a progress update. However, Caroline was touched when she heard what Courtney and Bill were doing for her.
No Regrets
Despite all the pain the car accident has caused Caroline, she would do it all over again to save Fox. “Since the accident, it has been a struggle to see the joy, humor, and sunlight. Saving Fox is the best possible outcome to a terrible situation and I would do it again in a heartbeat — he has my heart.”
Nanny’s Noble Act Spares 2-Year-Old From Driving Disaster is an article from: LifeDaily