When asked what gave him the strength to save his father’s life, 8-year-old J.T. Parker paused thoughtfully before saying one word, “angels.”
Stephen Parker was working on an busted up old Prius in his back yard with his two sons when tragedy struck. Mason, his 17-year-old son, had just cut himself and went inside for a moment when the jack collapsed. Steven was trapped and struggled to breathe and his youngest son watched helplessly. “I didn’t know if I should yell out to him because I didn’t want him to feel the pressure if he couldn’t jack it up. I didn’t want him to think it was his fault if I died,” Steven told Inside Edition.
J.T. knew he had to do something, but had never been strong enough to pump the heavy jack, until today. The frightened young boy leapt on top of the jack handle and started jumping. By this point his father had fallen unconscious. “It was scary, and I didn’t think that I could jack the car up, but I just kept on trying,” J.T. told reporters.
When Mason realized what had happened he called 911. Steven was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he was treated for several broken ribs. The Red Cross honored J.T. for his heroism.