A nine-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero for saving his parents’ lives when an Oklahoma tornado tossed the family’s truck into surrounding trees, after reportedly telling them “Mom, Dad, please don’t die, I will be back” before sprinting for help.
The latest incident comes as at least four people in Oklahoma, including an infant, were killed and dozens injured after multiple tornadoes hit the state.
Wayne and Lindy Baker, along with their son Branson, were driving on Saturday to a friend’s storm shelter in the town of Dickson, after tornado warnings prompted them to seek safety.
But suddenly they were hit as they drove and a tornado flipped the family’s truck into a pile of trees.
Both adults were severely injured and trapped in the wrecked vehicle, but their nine-year-old was miraculously unscathed and able to seek help.
He ran over a mile in total darkness to get help for his parents, navigating storm debris and downed power lines along the way.
The boy managed to find a neighbor, who followed him back to the crushed truck. When they returned, first responders were already on the scene, tending to the adults, ABC News reported.
“The only way he found his way back is lightning strikes. Every time there was a lightning strike, it would light up the road. He ran as fast as he could, as hard as he could. He probably made a mile in 10 minutes, and that’s pretty impressive for a little kid,” said Johnny Baker, Branson’s uncle, to local station KKTV.
“The last thing Branson told them was ‘Mom, Dad, please don’t die, I will be back,’” the uncle said.
The Bakers were taken to the intensive care unit at the OU medical center, CBS News reported. They both sustained broken backs, ribs, necks and other serious injuries.
Family and friends have raised more than $10,000 for the family to aid in their recovery.
Branson’s baseball team also wore stickers on their baseball gear to show their support for the family.
“With the Baker stickers on the helmets, they helped give Branson a little motivation as well, he actually hit a home run last night,” the uncle said to CBS.
