THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN

Picklebee ( little Lloyd) and sister, the Drama Queen (Llacey)

The Picklebee is our littlest hero, honored for his valiant efforts to save his hero, his Daddy.




Gene, Picklebee's Daddy and hero.

The Story of a Father's Near-Fatal Mistake and a Seven Year Old Son's Heroism

Gene is my grandson, the son of daughter Jo and husband Lloyd. He has served two tod's in Iraq and one in Korea. He is well versed in mechanics since childhood, learning at his father's knee. In addition, he is trained in the operation and maintenance of the big 5 ton trucks he drives in the Army. He has knowledge and experience in proper procedures when servicing vehicles.

Everyone is guilty occasionally of ignoring safety practises when performing a job that will "only take a minute". Such lapses sometimes result in tragedy.

Gene has a ten day leave and the family planned a visit to Texas from Tennessee where Gene is stationed. Gene opted not to drive the family car and instead drive his large pickup truck as he wanted to tow his antique truck from his parent's home in Texas to Tennessee so he could begin the restoration project. In preparation for the trip he was doing some work underneath the truck. Since it was a minor and brief job, he neglected all safety practises and could have been maimed or even lost his life.

Picklebee was at the side of the truck, observing his father's work. Suddenly the jack collapsed and the truck fell on Gene, pinning him between the truck's undercarriage and the concrete driveway. He screamed in shock and pain from the crushing force and weight.

Although it was a terrifying experience for little 7 year old Picklebee to see his father crushed and hear his screams, he did not run in panic nor dissolve into helpless tears. He immediately began trying to lift the truck off of his father. His frantic struggles were futile, ofcourse, so finally in desperation he ran for help - to his mother, Monica, who went into hysterics.

Gene and Monica had recently purchased a home on an acre+ tract of land but fortunately a neighbor was able to witness the accident, ran to help, called 911, got the truck jacked up again and relieved the pressure from Gene's body. The Paramedics evaluated Gene's condition and called out Life Flight to have him airlifted to a major hospital 150 miles away, as it had better trauma facilities than the hospital in Clarkesville.

All is well that ends well. Miraculously Gene suffered no broken bones nor internal injuries. He was fortunate to have received "only" deep, severe bruising. Surface bruising extends from just below the breastbone past mid-thigh. However, the deep bruising is a cause for concern. The doctors fear the possibilty that he will throw a blood clot which could be very serious. Today he was assisted to attempt walking with crutches to determine the function of his leg muscles. He successfully walked a little. In spite of extreme soreness and pain, his chief complaint is railing at himself for "being so stupid". And well he might; he knew better than to ignore safety measures and proper procedure.

Little Picklebee is his Daddy's hero and the hero of the family for his courageous efforts to save his Daddy. The fact that he was unsuccessful in lifting the truck is immaterial. His bravery and determination to rescue his dad makes him a hero. He maintained "courage under fire" and did his best to do what had to be done under the circumstances.

Our littlest hero! Our Picklebee.
COMMENTS:

Nvisiblewmn said...
First of all, those are adorable kids. Secondly, is Picklebee really his nickname? We call the youngest Jedi "Pickle" and "Mr. Pickles." His name is Dylan, as you may know, and Dyl for short. So, the older Jedi began calling him Dyl Pickles when he was a baby.And yes, your Picklebee was a hero. My heart was pounding as I read about what happened to Gene because a "boy" I went to grade school and high school with did this very thing, only he was alone and got no help, so he was crushed to death. Gene is so lucky. I hope he recovers well.
7/19/2007 9:56 AM

Labels: Our littlest hero