A woman in China sprung into action in the nick of time and saved a 2-year-old boy from being crushed under a moving truck. She, however, lost her arm in the process but said she didn’t regret it.
Ran Tilan, 46, from Sichuan province, was hailed a hero for her actions after she threw herself to rescue the child who wandered into a busy road and was about to be mowed down by an oncoming truck.
The video of the incident went viral on Chinese social media, South China Morning Post reported Thursday.
According to the Chinese media outlet The Cover, the incident took place on Oct. 2 when Tilan, who runs her shop by the street for 10 years, spotted the boy loitering on the sidewalk looking for something. At first, Tilan said she didn’t give it any thought but got shocked when the child started walking onto the road and a large lorry was headed in his direction.
Without wasting any time, Tilan raced onto the road and pulled the boy from harm’s way. However, the lorry hit her instead and knocked her to the ground.
A screengrab from the video shows a distressed Tilan lying on the road after the accident as the child lay just next to her seemingly unharmed. A passerby is seen running in their direction to offer help.
Tilan was rushed to the hospital where doctors had to amputate her arm due to the extent of her injuries. She had to undergo several follow-up surgeries before doctors deemed her fit for discharge, The Cover reported.
It was found in an investigation that the boy, named Xiao Xin, was with his mother when she went to a public toilet across the street. The child, worried that his mother didn’t return yet, walked onto the road looking for her and the accident took place.
Due to her bravery, Tilan was awarded the honorary title of “Righteous and Brave” by the authorities. The boy’s family called Tilan to express their gratitude for saving the toddler’s life.
Tilan said she feels lucky to have saved the boy from an obvious death and believes it’s worth losing her arm in exchange for a life that young. “What I feel is lucky that I caught him, otherwise he would be dead,” the woman told South China Morning Post. “At that moment I didn’t think of anything, I just intended to save the boy. The child is only two years old. It’s worth exchanging one arm for a life.”
