Brave 10-year-old boy grabbed steering wheel of family car to avoid crash

A 10-year-old boy tried to steer family car out of danger after his driving dad suffered a seizure before the vehicle ploughed into a garage in Melbourne.

The minor boy in the passenger showed bravery by grabbing the steering wheel when his driving father suffered a seizure and his foot believed to be stuck on the accelerator.

The incident took place in Melbourne’s northwest Niddrie on Tuesday afternoon.

The family car with a day and his three sons on board rocketed towards a T-intersection before slamming into the side of a garage, 7 News reported.

According to the report, Danielle Gourdeas uses the room for her beauty business, with about $200,000 worth of damage sustained. She told 7NEWS she was in the car’s path only seconds before it crashed.

Gourdeas said that she moved to the left and the vehicle just went through it.

It is believed that the driver’s foot jammed onto the accelerator after suffering a seizure behind the wheel. The 10-year-old boy attempted to avoid a crash by grabbing the steering wheel, however, he had nowhere to go after approaching the T-intersection.

The father remains in hospital undergoing treatment and assessment following the crash. “That was the scariest point for me. He wasn’t responding to me but then all of a sudden he moved his neck a little bit and that’s when I know ‘okay, he’s breathing’” Gourdeas said.

One witness estimated the car was travelling as fast as 100km/h. The driver’s injuries were described by emergency services as “non-life-threatening”.

He and one of his children were taken to hospital as a precaution, while the other two were treated at the scene.

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