NSW Girl, 12, Takes Wheel of Mazda MX5 & Saves Lives After Father Suffers Heart Attack

A 12-year-old girl managed to take the wheel of a car, so that she could prevent it from colliding with oncoming traffic in Kotara. She did it when her father had crashed into a tree and blacked out.

The 51-year-old man later died after he had crashed into a tree. His daughter, who was in the passenger seat, managed to control the Mazda MX5 and saved the car from oncoming traffic. Emergency services were called to Carnley Avenue at around 8:40 p.m. Paramedics and an off-duty police officer desperately tried for 40 minutes to save the man, but he could not survive. The daughter saved the car but could not save her father who died on the scene. According to police, the man had a medical situation when he crossed onto the wrong side of the road with his speeding car. He narrowly missed oncoming cars, but the car could have been hit anyway if the girl did not think quickly.

The 12-year-old girl, on the other hand, took the wheel and steered the car off the road. The car mounted the kerb and hit a tree. According to Newcastle police Inspector Gerard Lawson, the quick thinking of the young girl probably saved the life of her own as well as other motorists on the road. "For her to have the presence of mind to take control of the vehicle, with no formal training in driving or controlling a motor vehicle," Daily Telegraph quoted Lawson, "And to then negotiate a slalom of other vehicles - it's just miraculous." The girl was taken to hospital to be treated for shock even though she had escaped any physical injury.

Lawson said that one would not expect a 12-year-old to do what the girl had done. He called it "one of those very unusual things." He said that taking such a quick decision in such a small timeframe and then acting so responsibly would have been impossible even for several older people. Lawson said that the girl's action "mitigated further loss of life or serious injuries to other road users." Police believe that the girl's daughter, who was driving the car, had suffered a heart attack. His death, according to police, was due to the hearth attack. The crash may have not have an impact on his death, police said.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au