Driver Spots Girl Alone On Wooded Road, Frantically Waving Her Arms

A driver heading down a remote, wooded road was startled to see a little girl on the side, barefoot and all alone, frantically waving her arms. She clearly needed help. The driver immediately pulled over, and the desperate girl led them to a scene far worse than imaginable, distant from where she was found.

Angela Shymanski was returning from a vacation with her two children, 5-year-old Lexi and 10-week-old Peter, driving through the scenic Canadian Rockies. To help her children sleep, she played gentle lullaby music. However, she too dozed off. “It’s a day I’ll never forget, and I’m still astounded at what happened,” Angela recounted.

The family’s car veered off the road at highway speed, tearing through trees and gravel before plunging down a 40-foot embankment near Jasper in western Alberta, Canada. The harsh impact knocked Lexi unconscious, and when she woke up, she saw her mother leaning over the wheel and her baby brother crying. “My mommy was asleep,” little Lexi recalled.

Realizing that the car was out of sight from the road above, Lexi understood the urgency of the situation. Despite being securely strapped in a five-point harness car seat, she amazingly managed to free herself and get out of the car. “I had to kick open my door,” she said.

“It’s incredible,” her mother Angela told Metro. “I remember only a couple of times when she got out of her five-point harness previously. Somehow, with the adrenaline or whatever, she got out and, barefoot, hiked up the embankment.”

This brave little girl climbed up the rough, steep terrain to reach the highway and waved down a passing vehicle to get help for her family. By a stroke of luck, one of the drivers who stopped was a trained paramedic. This good Samaritan, being medically knowledgeable, likely saved Angela’s life, or at the very least, prevented her from being paralyzed.

“He stayed with me until I regained consciousness. I could see Lexi lying next to the highway, and someone else had taken my baby,” Angela said. “It took him five tries to get cell service and call 911,” she remembered.

Knowing the risks involved in moving the injured, the paramedic ensured Angela remained still to avoid further damage that could result in paralysis. Soon, the family was taken by ambulance to Seton-Jasper Healthcare Centre. Angela and Lexi were later airlifted to the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, while Peter was taken by ground ambulance, reaching much later that night.

Angela sustained severe injuries, including a broken back in two places and significant internal bleeding. She needed surgery to remove her spleen and repair other organs. Peter underwent neurosurgery to reduce swelling in his brain. Miraculously, Lexi escaped with just a scratch on her chin.

Without little Lexi’s quick actions, her mother and brother might have faced far worse outcomes. Everyone was in awe of what she did. The family survived because of this brave girl’s climb uphill to get help. “Superheroes come in all shapes and sizes, and Lexi was our superhero that day,” Angela proudly said.

Lexi is rightly being hailed a hero for her courage and actions. “It was only because Lexi flagged people down that anyone would have stopped,” Angela said. “It’s unbelievable because medics and firemen needed ropes to navigate that embankment, and she did it barefoot.”

Thanks to Lexi and a good Samaritan in the right place at the right time, the family is expected to make a full recovery.