Two strangers are being called heroes for saving the life of a 7-year-old boy after a major crash on an Ohio highway.
The accident happened on Columbia Parkway around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 6, according to local news outlets WLWT and WKRC. Police said a 25-year-old woman driving a Honda westbound crossed the center line and hit a Volvo driven by a 34-year-old woman.
Cincinnati Fire and EMS posted a photo of the crash scene showing one car flipped on its side and another with its front crushed.
The young boy, riding in the back seat of the Honda, suffered severe injuries, including three spinal fractures, a torn abdominal aorta, and brain swelling. His father, Michael Askin, told WCPO that two bystanders quickly pulled his son from the car and started CPR before emergency crews arrived.
Michael was rushed to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where doctors removed most of his small intestine and gave him a blood transfusion. He is now in stable condition.
“If it wasn’t for you, my son wouldn’t be here at all, fighting what he’s fighting right now,” Askin said, thanking the men who helped save his child.
Ashley Meucci, the boy’s grandmother, organized a GoFundMe to help the family. She thanked the bystanders, EMS team, and hospital staff for their quick actions that saved her grandson’s life.
Meucci described Michael as an active, loving child who plays football and basketball at JF Dulles Elementary School. He loves Fortnite, Roblox, and cheering for the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase.
Michael’s mother, Jonni Evans, also suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, including broken bones in her hip, knee, ankle, femur, and shoulder.
The GoFundMe has raised more than $18,000 as of Aug. 12. Meucci said both her daughter-in-law and grandson face a long recovery and will need ongoing support.
