GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. (NewsNation Now) — A Sheriff’s deputy in Virginia is being recognized for saving a woman’s life after her car flipped over and had her pinned underneath.
Deputy Jon Holt saw the accident and rushed to the car. He heard a child scream that his mom was stuck so he lifted the car up enough for the woman to wiggle her way out to safety.
Holt said instinct took over once he got to the accident scene and heard the oldest child scream for his mother.
“You know there’s nothing worse than hearing a child cry for its mother. And especially in a case like this,” said Holt.
He explained the child told him his mother was struggling to breathe. That’s when he instinctively attempted to get the car off her.
“At that point I put my shoulder into the doorframe and told myself all you have to do at that point is stand-up. If I can stand-up maybe I can get enough pressure off her to allow her to breathe. And then from there on I’ll wait for the medics to arrive,” said Holt.
Once the car was lifted, Holt described hearing a deep gasp from the woman who was then able to crawl out from under the vehicle on her own.
The woman and her children were released from the hospital.
When asked how he achieved the strength that let him pick up a car, he credited his coronavirus workout routine.
“With Covid you couldn’t really go to the gym so I just did stuff around the house. Throw sand bags and Move hay around,” said Holt.
This was not the first time Holt ran into danger to save others. Last year, he ran into a burning building to rescue people from the flames.