A nine-year-old boy saves his younger siblings from a fiery car accident

IONIA COUNTY, Mich. — A fiery crash in Ionia County last Thursday injured three people. Fortunately, everyone is safe.

At the time of the accident, the car contained an adult male driver, a nine-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl. The protagonist is a nine-year-old boy himself, Phillip Clark.

Phillip slept in the backseat next to his three-year-old half-sister Ayla. “Ayla started crying when she realized we were in a car accident, and my heart sank when I heard her cry,” Phillip said.

After a while, the car hit a tree and immediately caught fire.

The man driving the car was Ayla’s dad. As a result of the impact, he broke his leg and was unable to save his daughter. Phillip was also injured, but he knew what he had to do. “I climbed on top of Ayla, got her out of the car, put her in a safe place, and then we watched the car burn for a little bit,” Phillip said.

Despite Phillip’s injuries, he decided that Ayla’s life was more important than his own. “If we didn’t get out of there, we would have burned,” Phillip said.

Two good Samaritans helped pull Ayla’s dad from the car before it completely burned down.

Ayla’s mother, Alexandria, is eternally grateful to Phillip. “I honestly owe my whole life to this kid because he saved my baby,” Alexandria said.

When Alexandria first arrived on the scene, she didn’t know if she would ever see her daughter again. “When I saw the car, all I could think of was that my baby was dead… there was no way he was going to survive,” Alexandria said.

Phillip spent several days in hospital and required surgery. “I had a perforated bowel,” Phillip said. “I have a scar that goes from my waist to just above my belly button.”

Phillip is recovering from surgery at home, and Ayla’s dad, who broke his femur, is recovering with him.

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