“PLEASE DON’T DIE!” 9-year-old Hero Braves Tornado’s Fury in Mile-long Dash to Save Parents
A brave 9-year-old caught in a strong tornado with his parents escaped more than a mile away as disaster struck to help save their lives, telling the injured couple, “Please don’t die, I will be back.'”
Little Branson Baker and his dad were anxiously seeking refuge from the catastrophic tornadoes that blasted across Oklahoma on Saturday when they found themselves right in the path of one.
The tremendous winds lifted their car and threw it into a patch of trees, destroying the pick-up truck and critically wounding the front-row passengers. Wayne and Lindy Baker sustained fractured backs, necks, and ribs. Wayne also shattered his sternum and arm, and lost a fingertip, while Lindy’s jaw and right hand were broken. She also has a ruptured lung.
Somehow, their heroic son got out of the mangled mess, raced more than a mile in the dark amid downed power lines and rubble to a neighbor’s house, and returned help to his family. “The only way he found his way back was through lightning strikes that illuminated the road. He ran as fast and hard as he could, covering a mile in ten minutes. Johnny Baker, Branson’s uncle, told CBS News, “That’s pretty impressive for a little kid.”
“The last thing Branson told them was, ‘Mom, Dad, please don’t die, I will be back.'” Johnny Baker was on the phone with his brother’s family when the tragedy hit, causing him “to hear the unimaginable,” according to family friends.
The phone went dead, leaving Johnny and his wife to search for the couple without much direction, eventually discovering them just before Branson arrived on the scene.
“Branson is little, yet he is very powerful; he is a hero. You often think that children are destined to do great things, but Branson’s greatness has already begun,” according to an online fundraising for the family. Branson’s heroism did not stop there; his baseball club conducted a fundraiser Monday night to benefit the family.
The pint-sized lionheart’s colleagues wore “Bakers Battle” stickers on their helmets for the duration of the game. “With the Baker stickers put on the helmets, they helped give Branson a little motivation as well, he actually hit a home run last night,” said Baker.
Wayne and Lindy are still in the trauma ICU, but Johnny Baker is optimistic that they will recover fully. “He had to become his parents’ superman and go accomplish what he needed to do. This is exactly what he stated. He stated, “I need to save my parents.” Johnny Baker continued.
The Bakers were among the countless victims of the 15 tornadoes that blasted through Oklahoma on April 27.
At least five individuals were murdered, and many more were injured.