Heroes truly do come in all shapes, sizes and ages. This story proves the love a daughter has for a father. Family is truly everything. A teen girl was lounging inside of her Virginia home when suddenly her was was startled by groaning noises coming from her garage.
She went to go check it out to see what happened and once she discovered what happened, she ran off immediately.
Charlotte Heffelmire, 19, was relaxing Vienna, Virgina home along with her grandmother and niece when the unexpected happened. The large garage door was left open, but she wasn’t prepared for what she saw once she crept over to the door.
According to NBCWashington, Charlotte’s father, Eric Hefflemire, was working on his GMC truck in the garage when the jack holding it up slipped, and the massive vehicle fell down on top of him. He was immediately crushed by the car and was overwhelmed by the smell of gasoline. The car caught on fire moments later.
Knowing only his daughter, an aging woman, and a baby was inside the home, he didn’t know how or if he would get life-saving help.
Instantly, Charlotte ran to her father’s rescue, and with superhuman strength, she managed to lift the big truck off her dad. But she wasn’t done there.
“I felt the weight shift, and I said, ‘You almost got it,’ and then it was just UGHHHHHHRRR, and suddenly, I’m pulled out,” Eric recalled of his daughter’s courageous move to the news station.
With the truck off her father, the alert 120-pound hero realized that the gas tank on the ride could explode and set the whole house on fire with her other family members still inside. She hopped into the truck and reversed it out into the street, before running back to the garage and spraying it down with the garden hose until firefighters could get there.
Charlotte kept everyone safe, despite suffering burns to her hands and feet, along with a back injury from lifting the truck, but she’s just happy everyone is alive, as she recovers at home as a hero to her family. She’s since been awarded for her incredible efforts, receiving a Citizen Lifesaving Award this past Thursday for the November 28 rescue.
The soft-spoken teen attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and can’t return after her back injury, but she is still dedicated to serving. “If I can’t do any of the military branches, then probably just intelligence or government work,” Charlotte said. “Right now, I’m just healing up and making sure the family is OK.”
This girl is the picture of an honorable human being, and it’s no surprise she wants to serve our country no matter what. She’s proven to be selfless and strong, and she is a credit to her generation of entitled counterparts.
