Chris Lucas had trained Cadence, his four-year-old daughter well. When Chris had hit his head on the old water heater or on his tailgate and was knocked unconscious, little Cadence knew what to do. Instead of going into a panic, she ran a quarter mile to a neighbor’s house to get help. This brave little girl did the unexpected. Usually, small children stay with their parents when the parents are injured, but not Cadence. According to Chris Lucas, he and his wife had taught Cadence that when there is an emergency, you need to get help. Chris is a volunteer firefighter and his wife works for an ambulance service.

Unsure How Accident Happened

The last thing Chris Lucas remembers is getting out of his truck and attempting to pick up something under his trucks tailgate. He does not remember if he hit his head on the tailgate of the truck or on the old water heater. Mr. Lucas goes on to state, “After that, I don’t really remember what happened.” He was knocked unconscious. Thankfully for her dad, Cadence knew the area. She ran down the dirt road, saw headlights in the neighbor’s yard and asked the neighbor for help. The neighbor called an ambulance. Cadence bought the neighbor back to where her dad was lying unconscious. In the hospital, Mr. Lucas learned he had a concussion and a bump on his head. He spent the night in the hospital.

Since Chris Lucas and his wife both know about emergencies, they had the foresight to teach 4-year-old Cadence how to use 911. She was also taught the home telephone number and her parents names. Mr. Lucas was proud of his little girl, he goes on to say, “I thought it was kinda cool she remembered that.”

Valuable Lesson

Parents should take a lesson from this story. Children of all ages should be taught what to do in an emergency. They should be taught how to use 911, their home telephone numbers, or parent’s cell phone numbers and where they live. Anyone can be injured at any time. Face it – accidents happen. If you are alone with a young child and are injured, you need your child to get the proper help. If the child knows what to do, you will get that help. It can be a matter of life or death. Cadence’s parents should be applauded for teaching this vital information to her. Little Cadence was a hero; she followed her training and got her dad help.

If parents do have the foresight to train their young children to use 911 properly, their children will have the necessary skills to save the parents or anyone who needs help. There have been stories of children who have saved their parents, family, or friends in their time of need. The child learned not to panic and make the call to 911 or go for help. The child may be scared and crying but they do what is needed to help the person in need. Children are easily trained at young ages and can remember what to do in emergencies.