A brave 9-year-old boy who was caught with his parents in a violent tornado ran as fast as he could from more than a mile away to save lives after the disaster struck, telling the injured couple, “Don’t die, I’ll be back.” “said.
Branson Baker and his parents were desperately trying to find shelter from the deadly tornado that ripped through Oklahoma on Saturday when they found themselves in the path of the storm.
Their car was lifted by strong winds and thrown into a gap in the trees, the pickup truck was thrown into an unrecognizable mess and the front row passenger was seriously injured.
Wayne and Lindy Baker both suffered broken backs, necks and ribs. Wayne suffered a broken sternum and arm and lost part of a finger, and Lindy suffered a fractured jaw and right hand. She also suffered a punctured lung.
Somehow, their brave son crawled out of the mess and ran more than a mile in the dark through downed power lines and debris to a neighbor’s house to bring help back to his family.
“The only way he could get back was for a lightning strike to light the way. He ran as fast as he could, as fast as he could, and covered a mile in 10 minutes, which is pretty impressive for a little kid.” said Johnny Baker, Branson’s uncle. he told CBS News.
“The last thing Branson said to them was, ‘Mom and Dad, please don’t die. I’ll be back.'”
Johnny Baker was on the phone with his brother’s family when the tragedy occurred and Johnny was “hearing stories that were unimaginable,” a family friend said.
The phone goes dead, leaving Johnny and his wife to search for the couple without much direction, but they eventually discover they are right when Branson’s help arrives on the scene.
“Branson is small but so strong that he is a hero. We always think children are destined to do great things, but Branson is already starting to realize that greatness,” said an online fundraiser for the family. It is written in
But Brunson’s heroics didn’t end there. His baseball team held a fundraiser Monday night to raise money for his family.
Pint-sized Lionheart teammates wore “Baker’s Battle” stickers on their helmets during games.
“Having the Baker sticker on his helmet gave Brunson a little bit of motivation as well. He actually hit a home run last night,” Baker told the magazine.
Wayne and Lindy are still recovering in the trauma intensive care unit, but Johnny Baker is optimistic the couple will make a full recovery.
“He had to be the parental Superman and do what he had to do. That’s exactly what he said. He said, ‘I have to save my parents,'” Johnny Baker continued.
Bakers was just one of the many victims of 15 tornadoes that struck the Sooner State on April 27th.
At least five people were killed and dozens injured.
