By Richard A. Todd, Herald Democrat
Herald Democrat, Sherman, Texas
DENISON, Texas — A local eight-year-old boy was recognized by first responders for his actions following his father’s four-wheeler accident over the weekend. Brody Clement is going into the fourth grade as the only elementary student EMT in Texoma.
Area first responders honored Brody’s efforts to get his dad to safety following an accident by naming him an honorary EMT during a ceremony at Grayson College Wednesday.
The two were driving four-wheelers out in the countryside of Oklahoma over the weekend when Brody’s dad drove his ATV into a ravine. That was when Brody leaped into action, pulling his father up, finding his dad’s cell phone and making an emergency call.
From there he stood by his father’s side all the way to Texoma Medical Center and stayed with him on the air ambulance ride to Plano for further treatment.
In attendance at Wednesday’s ceremony were a number of emergency professionals ranging from Denison and Sherman firefighters to the air ambulance team who flew his dad to Plano. Between handshakes and selfies, the young boy was given a number of commemorative items to celebrate the day.
“Something bad happened to him,” Brody said. “I knew I was scared I knew something went wrong. I always help anybody that gets hurt. Helping people whenever they are hurt is a nice thing to do. That is what I like to do. It feels great. It is nice of them to give me (these things). It makes me feel very happy. Helping people is what I like to do, it is a nice thing to do. If somebody is hurt you should always try to help them. My dad is okay and I was hoping he would be and he is.”
Brody was given a tour of the inside of a training apparatus used at Grayson College to prepare EMTs for the types of trauma situations they may experience in the field. Then, he and his guests were treated to cake and punch.
His mother, Courtney Clement said she was very proud of her son and she was grateful things weren’t worse.
“Brody is a very quiet soul, very kind-hearted and smart boy,” Courtney Clement said. “He realized his dad was in a lot of trouble in that moment and he knew he had to step up and really take control of the situation and stay calm while he did that. He was able to find the phone and make the phone calls to get the help they needed. Once we got to the hospital he stayed by his side even when we were transported to Plano for further care. He never got upset he remained calm during the whole situation.”
She said she had great pride for what he did and was thankful everybody was safe and that her son had the knowledge to do the right thing.
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©2019 the Herald Democrat (Sherman, Texas)