When her grandfather died at the wheel of the car, with his foot
on the accelerator, 12-year-old Miranda Bowman didn't waste a
moment.
Miranda Bowman, age 12 of Burlington Township, with her
parents Stephanie and Jim, shows off a plaque honoring her for
bravery. The photo on the plaque shows a childhood photo of her
with her grandfather, Paul Parker.
As the car approached 80 mph last Tuesday, Bowman tried to call
911 but couldn't unlock her handphone, the AP reports. So she took
off her seatbelt and slid over in the front seat, pushed the brake
and steered in the direction of some bushes and trees on the side
of the road.
Bowman, who was going back to her home in Burlington Township,
N.J., after a day of go-kart racing with 63-year-old Paul Parker,
escaped the crash with no injuries, according to the news
outlet.
Parker, who had a chronic heart condition, died of heart
failure, say relatives. "He said he didn't feel well and told me to
just keep talking to him," Miranda told the Burlington County
Times. "Then he said he was scared, closed his eyes, and put
his head on the glass. That's when I knew he was dead."
Though the family is heartbroken over their loss, Bowman's
parents are understandably proud of their daughter. "She is my
hero," Stephanie Bowman, Miranda's mother and the daughter of Paul
Parker, told Phillyburds.com.
"As much as I am upset about losing my father, I can't even
imagine how worse this could have been," she added.
