Woman honored for rescuing a toddler running down a busy SC highway
A woman was recently recognized for rescuing a child she saw on a busy road.
Sarah Prosser, who works for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, was honored by her employer and the City of Aiken for coming to the aid of a toddler, SRNS officials said in a news release.
The incident happened Nov. 30, 2021, according to the release.
Prosser was driving on a busy four-lane highway, when she noticed a toddler running on the median in the direction of oncoming traffic, officials said.
Initially, Prosser reacted by blowing her horn to alert nearby drivers about the child, according to the release.
She then stopped her vehicle on the shoulder of the road, before putting herself in harm’s way by running to the median and securing the child, officials said.
One driver of an oncoming vehicle also pulled over, expressing her gratitude, saying she had been unaware of the child running toward her until she heard Prosser honking her car’s horn, according to the release.
Officers with the Aiken Department of Public Safety responded to the scene and took custody of the child, eventually saying the toddler’s mother was located, according to officials.
Information about how the child wound up alone on the busy road was not available.
The child was safe and no injuries were reported, according to the release.
A department of public safety officer said that might not be the case if not for Prosser’s actions.
The officer said had she not acted with such urgency the child may have been seriously injured or killed, according to the release.
“I was just thankful that I was in the right place at the right time and paying attention to my surroundings,” Prosser said in the release.
By demonstrating “an extreme level of bravery and selflessness during this potentially dangerous event,” officials said Prosser was rewarded with the SRNS President’s Safety Award and Aiken’s second-highest civilian award.
“Her actions reflect the values of the safety culture at the Savannah River Site and showed her concern as a citizen of Aiken as well,” SRNS officials said in the release.
Prosser has been with SRNS since 2016, where she is Site Services Traffic Logistics Specialist.
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This story was originally published June 8, 2022 at 2:56 PM.
