Angela Shymanski and her two daughters, 5-year-old Lexi Shymanski and 10-week-old Peter, were traveling through the Canadian Rockies on their way back from vacation. She put on nice lullaby music to put her children to sleep, but she drifted asleep as well. It’s a day she’ll never forget, and what happened still astounds her, Angela added.
The family’s automobile careened off the road at highway speed, through trees and dirt, and tumbled down a 40-foot embankment near the alpine town of Jasper in western Alberta, Canada. Lexi was knocked unconscious by the collision, and when she recovered, she found her mom crouched over the steering wheel and her brother screaming. Her mommy was asleep, Lexi said.
Lexi Shymanski, realizing that the automobile couldn’t be seen by other cars since they were down a steep slope, did the unimaginable for a youngster her size. She was restrained in a five-point harnessed car seat, but she managed to remove herself and eventually get out of the vehicle. She said that she had to kick open her door.
It’s crazy, Angela Shymanski, her mother, told. She can only recall one or two previous occasions when she slipped out of her five-point harness. She got out, adrenaline or not, and climbed up the slope barefoot.
The barefoot child traversed the rocky terrain to the roadway above and hailed down a passing truck to assist her family. Fortunately, one of the vehicles that pulled over for her was a paramedic. Angela’s life was possibly spared or avoided being permanently paralyzed because the good Samaritan was medically qualified for emergencies.
He stayed with her until she regained consciousness and could see Lexi lying down next to the highway and that someone else had the baby, Angela said. She said it took him five tries before he could get cell service to call 911.
Angela’s body may be paralyzed if the off-duty paramedic moves it. A normal person could have made the mistake of attempting to pull her out, which would have been catastrophic. The family was transferred to Seton-Jasper Healthcare Center by ambulance. Angela and Lexi were eventually evacuated to Edmonton’s University of Alberta Hospital. Peter was transported by land ambulance and arrived that night.
Angela suffered at least two broken ribs and extensive internal bleeding. Her spleen had to be removed, and other organs had to be repaired. Peter had neurosurgery to relieve swelling in his brain. Lexi miraculously had just a scrape on her chin.
If the quick-thinking kid had not sought aid as quickly as she did, her mother and brother may have faced serious penalties. Lexi’s accomplishment astounded everyone. The small girl’s heroic climb to find aid saved the family. Angela expressed that superheroes come in all shapes and sizes, and Lexi was theirs that day.
She is being praised as a hero for her bravery in seeking aid for her mother and brother. Nobody would have stopped unless Lexi came up and flagged them down, Angela said. It’s crazy since the guy who came to see them in the hospital said the medics and firemen required ropes to get up and down that embankment, and she did it barefoot, she added.
Thanks to Lexi Shymanski and a good Samaritan who was at the right place at the right time, the family is expected to recover completely. Lexi, on the other hand, seemed to be “blissfully unaware” of her rescuing deeds. She just doesn’t know what it means, stated her mother. She’s only 5 years old and is overjoyed to be home, playing with her dog and ducks.
When questioned why she decided to climb the embankment, Lexi just answered, she thought, ‘What would Mommy say if she was awake…'” “Mommy would say, ‘Go get help.'” Lexi is the name of the next superhero who has come. She is braver than most grownups will ever be.
