Last week, Juan, a fifth-grader from Charlotte, North Carolina, was waiting with his classmates for the school bus to take them to Windsor Park Elementary when a car crashed into a utility pole nearby. With little regard for his own safety, Juan rushed to save the other kids from the falling pole and live electrical lines, but Juan didn’t get out of the way in time and the pole fell on his legs, pinning him to the ground.
Bystanders were able to free Juan before firefighters arrived and took Juan to a nearby hospital where he spent two days recovering. Earlier this week, Juan returned to Windsor Park and he was greeted by a cheering student body, school staff, and local police officers and firefighters.
Fire Chief Reggie Johnson declared Juan an Honorary Charlotte Junior Firefighter and presented him with a certificate of appreciation. Johnson called Juan an example of selflessness and added, “Charlotte Fire and the entire community thank you for your heroic actions to save your friends.” But Juan wouldn’t call himself a hero. “What I did that day, I didn’t do to be a hero,” he said through a translator, “I did it out of my heart.”
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