Kids call 911, save man’s life
13-year-old Sahara Peterson and her 12-year-old sister
By Amicia Ramsey
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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A group of kids in Indianapolis have earned the title of heroes after calling 911 to help a man they found unconscious.
In early March, 13-year-old Sahara Peterson and her 12-year-old sister, Zykira Peterson, were walking with their friends at Fall Creek Drive South and Capitol Avenue when they discovered the man unresponsive. They decided to intervene.
On Tuesday, Sahara told News 8 she was very worried about the man’s condition and used her cellphone to call 911 to get him help. A video recording released by the Indianapolis Police Department played the 911 call between Sahara and a dispatcher. Sahara’s demeanor and voice were composed as she gave the dispatcher her location and other important details about the man’s health.
“I was trying to be as calm as possible. I had never seen anything like this before. I didn’t know if I should be nervous since he wasn’t moving. I just wanted him safe, so I tried to keep it together,” Sahara said.
After ending the call, Sahara and the other kids waited until the police arrived. Video from IMPD Officer Casey Seaton’s bodycam showed the kids leading him to where the man was lying unconscious. According to IMPD, the man experienced a drug overdose, and medics came to revive him immediately. The man pulled through; however, Seaton described his condition as life or death, and called the kids heroes for taking action.
The officer said, “They are heroes. (But) I think that guy should be calling them heroes because they saved his life.”
Zykira said, “I remember we stepped to the side, and we were geeking out, like, ‘Oh, my God. We saved a man’s life.’”
Sahara says she learned from the experience and used it as an opportunity to rely on compassion for others. She discovered through the process that trusting her instincts to help someone is the ultimate reward.
“I am honestly really glad he got the help he needed. The entire time I thought about his future and path. Like, what led him to do that? I hope this is like a wake-up call for him, so he can start over and be grateful,” Sahara said.
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