Saturday, May 23, 2009

Neb. boy, 6, takes wheel after dad passes out

Neb. boy, 6, takes wheel after dad passes out

In this May 20, 2009 photo Tustin Mains, 6, is seen, in North Platte, Neb.AP – In this May 20, 2009 photo Tustin Mains, 6, is seen, in North Platte, Neb. Police say Tustin Mains, grabbed …

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. – A 6-year-old boy grabbed the wheel of his family's pickup truck when his father passed out from low blood sugar, keeping the vehicle from crashing until an officer could bring it to a halt, police said.

Tustin Mains was in the back seat with his 3-year-old brother Sunday when his father, Phillip Mains, slumped over at the wheel, the boy told police. The family had been driving home from a restaurant.

"I remember getting up to about the mall — that was about 6:45," Mains told The North Platte Telegraph. "The next thing I remember was waking up to the officer and paramedics, and it was 8:15."

Tustin leapt into his father's lap so he could steer and see out the windshield. Mains' foot had slipped off the accelerator, but even at idle the Chevrolet Avalanche was going an estimated 10-15 mph, police said.

The kindergartner steered the truck several blocks, even turning around when he entered a neighborhood he didn't recognize, until he was spotted by police.

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