12-year-old student’s quick actions help save man in Walker County

NAUVOO, Ala. (WBRC) - She’s 12 years old, but her instincts are right on. Brianna Meyers is getting praise from first responders in Walker County for helping to save a man’s life.

She’s wanted to become a paramedic ever since a bad reaction from an insect sting and a medic came to care for her. Wednesday, October 28 Brianna showed she has what it takes to pursue becoming an EMT.

While her mom was inside the Dollar General in Nauvoo, Brianna noticed a man who was motionless inside an older vehicle across the parking lot. Brianna was waiting with her younger brother inside their family’s car. Once her mom, April, returned, she immediately alerted her about the man.

April Meyers said, “She says ‘Mom will you please go check on that man in the car?’, and I said ‘Why baby?’ She said he’s been slumped over in his seat. The whole time we’ve been over here and there is smoke coming from underneath his hood.”

Meyers said, “I went over and sure enough there was smoke coming from under the hood and he was just slumped over asleep and actually making snoring noises, and I noticed clothes in his back seat and I thought maybe he nodded off. I started shaking him and said ‘Hey, buddy are you okay?’- did that a couple of times and never got a response, and I was like oh my goodness.”

That’s when they called 911. Meyers said, “And Nauvoo Fire is the first ones to show up and assess the situation. They said his blood pressure was low, his sugar was above 200 and his oxygen is at 32, and if he had been there any longer he wouldn’t have made it.”

They told Meyers the man could have died, but would survive because Brianna was paying attention and spoke up.

Since then, there was a celebration at Lynn High School stadium in Brianna’s honor and rewards from first responders.

Meyers says, "Nauvoo Fire actually offered for her to come when she is 16 to intern under them for their medic program to kind of get her feet wet a little bit. And once she graduates RPS is going to take over her education. They gave her a full scholarship to go through the program to do EMT basic, advance; everything she is going to do to be a medic and when she gets through doing that she’ll actually work one full year for RPS. "

Eric Pendley, Director of Operations for Regional Paramedical Services sent us this statement: “We are very thankful for her alertness of her surroundings and the passion to help someone in critical need of emergency care. We need more people with the character like Brianna to work in our industry. We need people like Brianna to stay and work, in our communities. We are so very proud of her and her actions, to help save someone’s life.” Brianna told us she just wants to help people out and that’s why she wants to become a paramedic.

The family hasn’t seen the man in the vehicle since the incident, but they wish him well.

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