Just before a sudden and fierce June storm roared into Logan County, West Virginia, Gregory Vance and two of his buddies were sitting on his front porch enjoying some good conversation. Then, it was chaos. The violent storm was right on top of them, and they couldn’t get inside to safety quick enough.
Before they knew it, strong winds knocked down a huge tree next to the house and it fell right on top of all of them. They were all alive, but they were all trapped beneath it.
Gregory’s girlfriend and his two children were safe inside the home, but their concerns now were with Gregory and his friends trapped outside under that large tree. With winds whipping around them, they opened the door and called out to them… but they got no answer. They were extremely worried, and they knew they needed help… fast! So they tried their cellphones. No signal. And they didn’t have a landline. So how were they gonna get help?
Gregory and his friends were stuck outside under a tree in that blistering storm. It did not look good… not at all. And just when they were about to give up all hope, Gregory’s 10-year-old daughter, Brianna, came up with an idea. And it was a good one. She realized the family still had wi-fi, so she recorded herself with an emergency plea and posted it to Facebook, hoping someone local would quickly see it and contact emergency crews to get to their property as soon as possible.
In her video post, Brianna, crying and with tears streaming down her face, said: “The lightning crashed and hit a tree by our porch, and my dad’s almost dead. He needs an ambulance please. Please call one for us if you have signal. We live in a yellow house.”
Well, someone DID see that video within minutes after it was posted. And a very short time later, firefighters and rescue personnel were on the scene, and Gregory and his friends were freed from under that tree. They were all taken to Logan Regional Hospital, and while Gregory’s friends were treated for minor injuries, Gregory himself suffered a broken collar bone and five broken ribs.
Brianna’s actions caught the attention of many, including Fire Department Lt. Tim Granger, who said, “This is the real hero, that little girl, and I hope she gets recognized for her heroism.”
Some days later, after Gregory was released, Brianna made another post to Facebook. It read: “I love you, dad, and I’m so happy you are home and happy to be your helper.”
And it was posted… on Father’s Day.
We are sure you enjoyed the above story… watch for more: https://youtu.be/TyWUuk6Pgko?t=258
