Leah Woodward, her husband Joel, and her family were on their way home from a camping trip nearly two years ago when they drove upon a horrific head on collision.
Her husband, an off duty police officer, immediately got out. He told Leah to say in the car with their children, but once Leah saw a little boy in the backseat of one of the vehicles severely injured, she knew she couldn’t sit back and watch.
Unsure of what to do, Leah’s husband told her the best way she could help was by holding the little boy’s head completely still, and so that is what she did.
"Joel was really good at saying you know you are doing a good job, just hold him, just like that, do not move him and so I was not moving him,” said Leah.
She said the boy was in and out of consciousness but she kept asking him questions. She found out his name was Killian and they were on a trip to Idaho for his fourth birthday. Finally EMS arrived on scene. Leah asked if she should get out of the way so the professions could get to work.
"She was like no stay there. We just need you to keep holding his head and I was like ok,” said Leah. “It’s like holding something up for 45 minutes. Your arms get really tired."
Leah kept holding his head until finally an air ambulance was called to the scene and the little boy and his mother were on their way to the hospital. Leah was left to wonder if he lived. Then a message on Facebook read you saved my nephew’s life. Leah learned Killian had been internally decapitated and if she hadn’t held his head still, he would have died.
“It’s amazing. I couldn’t ever thank her enough for it,” said Brandy, Killian’s mom. “She’s my little guardian angel."
Now, two years have passed and Killian has made a full recovery.
“He gets to be a totally normal kid,” smiled Leah.
Now, Leah and Brandy have a special bond they say that can never be broken.
“She saved his life and she is amazing for that,” said Brandy.
For her courage in helping save Killian’s life, Leah was honored by the American Red Cross with a hometown hero award, something she said belongs to all of the men and women who helped save lives at the accident that day.
"I don’t want to take this credit cause it’s so much more than that,” said Leah.
But she is very supportive of the Hometown Heroes initiative and supports recognizing people doing great things in the community.
"I mean people do this all the time and if they don't get recognized for it it’s easy to overlook it,” said Leah.
If you’d like to nominate someone for the hometown heroes awards, click here.
