LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — When Dayton Diaz's friend was seriously injured in a wreck, the 13-year-old's quick actions helped save his life.
The Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District presented Dayton Diaz with their Community Youth Hero Award after he called 911 when his friend Scott Walsh was seriously injured in an accident involving a bicycle and a four-wheeler.
"We got lucky. I think I got lucky enough to know, to call, but yeah. It felt like, like a year, just waiting, sitting down," Diaz said.
Click here to see Community Correspondent Victoria Quevedo speak with the kids and their families.
Walsh suffered two skull fractures, a broken clavicle, broken wrist, and several vertebrae fractures in the accident that happened over a month ago.
The incident hit close to home for the fire district. That's because Scott is the son of firefighter Dennis Walsh, who was the acting lieutenant whose crew responded to the scene.
"We got in the truck and I started reading the notes about a 13-year-old boy, I instantly called his phone, and he didn't answer. Little Dayton actually is the one that answered his phone," Dennis said. "And he said, Mr. Dennis. Mr. Dennis, we need you here, Scott, he's bleeding really bad all over the street. So at that point, I knew that it was him."
Walsh says he had to stay calm when he realized the emergency call was for his own son.
"Obviously, as a father, you want to start crying and like, do what you can for your kid, which I could see. I could feel it in the back of my mind. That's what I wanted to do, but I knew if I did that, that there was nothing could happen for him," Walsh said.
Scott's recovery has stunned even his doctors. Walsh says his son was expected to need weeks of inpatient therapy, but he was back on his bicycle within a month.
Lee County Public Safety official Nancy Ortiz praises Diaz's actions, saying he provided all the information needed and followed instructions perfectly. She says it's important for kids to know how to call 911.
"It's just important because they can save a family member, a friend, or neighbor," Ortiz said.
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