Charlotte Heffelmeier's father still cannot believe what his 19-year-old daughter managed to do to save his life. He had no way to get out from under the burning car, then his daughter somehow incredibly lifted the car so that he was able to get out. But that's not all she did that day.
It looks like a scene from a movie. The girl lifts the car and frees her father, then rescues the rest of the family from the raging fire.
Maybe all of this will seem incredible to some, but 19-year-old Charlotte Heffelmayer really did an incredibly courageous act and saved her family from an unthinkable tragedy.
A few days after Thanksgiving, her father, Erik Heffelmeier, was working in the garage where he was fixing his pickup truck. He propped up the car and climbed under it. However, the support could not stand, and Eric was crushed under the car. Worst of all, the spilled gasoline caught fire in the blink of an eye.
“I was lying on my back, fiddling with the brake wires, when suddenly the jack came off and the car pressed down on my shoulder,” said Erik Heffelmayer.
Then there was an explosion.
“I thought it was over, that I would die,” he said.
Fortunately, Charlotte was at home. She ran to the garage and helped her father to get out, but still she cannot explain how she managed to lift the car, where the strength came from.
Promotional video:
“When I tried to lift the pickup, my father said:“Come on, a little more, you are doing,”said Charlotte. "Finally he managed to get out, it cost me inhuman efforts."
Freeing her father, Charlotte jumped into the burning truck and drove it on three wheels to a safe distance from the garage.
“I was afraid that the house would also catch fire, so I jumped into the truck to drive it away. The car was on three wheels and there is still a deep furrow on the asphalt,”said Charlotte.
After Charlotte drove the truck away, she returned to the garage and closed the doors to prevent the fire from spreading further. Then she ran into the house and brought out everyone who was there, first of all her little niece.
“I just acted according to the circumstances, so I don't feel like a superhero or anything like that,” Charlotte said.
For her bravery, Charlotte received an honorary award from local rescuers.
Charlotte graduated from McLane High School last year and attended the Air Force Academy. But now she wants to interrupt her studies at the academy and think about where to continue her education.
And here's what else Charlotte did after taking care of her family (and besides the fact that she called 911). Grabbing a garden hose, she began to water the blazing garage to keep the flames from spilling onto the house. This is something that should never be done, firefighters warn. this should be done by professionals
Svetlana Bodrik