Wednesday, February 20, 2002
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Wednesday, February 20, 2002 |
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Local girl steers family car to safety after dad passes out behind wheel By JOHN
MUNFORD
Rebecca Burslem isn't old enough to have her driver's license yet, but she may well be the best back seat driver in Fayette County. The 13-year-old proved her mettle several weeks ago while riding to school in the morning with her father, Rick, and brother Stephen. Not only did everyone survive, but the family car made it through with barely a scratch. When Rick passed out behind the wheel, Rebecca leapt from the back seat and took control. She steered the car off Ga. Highway 92, around a gas station, over a parking curb, down an embankment and to a safe stop ... all without being able to use the brakes. "I knew I had to run into something to stop," Rebecca said, and sure enough the car struck a curb in the parking lot, causing it catch about three seconds of air time before slowing down. "When I really started to panic, I started praying out loud." The odds were against her from the get-go. She had to wrestle Rick's foot off the accelerator with her left hand while steering the car with her right. "I was like, 'Jesus, help me drive this car,'" Rebecca said. "He answered my prayer really quickly." While she steered the car off the road, 9-year-old Stephen served as the emergency navigator. "I thought we were going to run into the yellow brick building," he said. When the family left for Landmark Christian School minutes before the accident, Rick felt fine. But unbeknownst to him, he had a bleeding ulcer that would eventually cause him to pass out. Minutes later, Rick began to feel so bad that he called his wife, Vicki, to meet him at a gas station and pick up the kids. Rebecca picked up on the conversation and unbuckled her seat belt, knowing if he passed out she would have to take action. "He was getting pale real quick," Rebecca said. "My last thought was, 'I need to put the car in park,' and I just couldn't do it," Rick said. Rebecca quickly took over and miraculously coaxed the green Ford Escape to a stop. Local EMTs patched Rick up and took him to the hospital while Rebecca and Stephen went on to school. Rick stayed several nights at Fayette Community Hospital, recovering from the loss of between four and five pints of blood. Days after the incident, the family was able to appreciate and laugh at the ironies of the situation that led to everyone's safety. Rebecca and Stephen normally don't ride with Rick to Landmark, where he also serves as principal of the middle and high schools. They normally ride with older sister Emily, who had to leave early for a study class. "I guess you could say calculus saved my life," Rick joked. "Her quick thinking really saved all their lives," noted Vicki, the proud mom. Rick also noted that he thought it was odd that neither Rebecca nor Stephen wanted to ride in the front seat. Rebecca said she sat in the back because she thought her dad was upset because they were running a little late. In all seriousness, though, Rebecca said the incident made her realize how precious life is. "We need to cherish each day," she said. "God really has a plan for us every day and he has a purpose for you." "I'll never forget that he protected them," Rick said.
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