Last Monday, Walker Brietz, a senior baseball player from East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, was on his way home from practice when he came upon a car crash. A UPS driver had suffered a seizure and crashed into a tree. As other cars just passed by the crash, the 18-year-old risked his own safety, rushing to help and climbing over the driver to put the truck into park.
Later in the week, Brietz was recognized by his school district for his life-saving heroics. Before a ballgame last Wednesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools awarded Brietz the Purple Heart Student Lifesaver Award. East Mecklenburg High head coach and athletic director, Jason Fowler, read a letter from a bystander, who recounted the teen’s “brave” and “honorable act.”
Brietz says he doesn't see himself as a hero and felt compelled to act when he saw the crash. He was able to identify the driver's seizure and knew just what to do because of his own experiences with epilepsy. He was grateful to be in a position to help, saying “I’m just glad that I was able to be there.”
Source: WJBF