Eleven-Year-Old Girl Saves Seven
Categories: Kids 8-11, In the news, Extreme childhood
Maddie McRae is being hailed a hero whose bravery saved the lives of seven people. After heavy rains washed out a section of roadway, two vehicles, including the one she was riding in with her mother and two siblings, ended up in the river. "I knew what was happening," said the eleven-year-old. "I thought we were going to die because the water was going over our heads. But me and my mom prayed a lot and we knew God could get us through it."But instead, Maddie managed to get out of the vehicle through the broken windshield, crawl across a tree branch to the shore, and then climb an electric fence to reach a nearby farmhouse. She called 9-1-1 and rescuers were able to pull her family to safety using ladders and ropes. Her mother and siblings were treated at a hospital and released.
Meanwhile, another family of four was also in the river, having fallen in before the McRae's on their way home from church. "We were coming home from church and came around the corner like we have thousands of times in the 13 years we've lived out here and the road was collapsed in front of us," said Jodi Porter. "And we went down into the culvert and it collapsed and we were in the creek floating backwards for about a mile." Instead of calling 9-1-1, however she called a friend to warn them about the collapsed road. Luckily Maddie McRae's rescuers were able to pull the four to safety as well.
I'm glad young Maddie was able to keep her wits about her and go for help. I'm sure the seven people whose lives she save are glad too.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
nvdesertdreamer 11-17-2008 @ 9:13PM
Bravo young lady, way to keep your wits about you. Hope you have a wonderful life.
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Marie 11-17-2008 @ 9:32PM
I nice feel good story about a very brave young lady. It WAS God's grace and mercy that gave the little girl the courage and fortitude to save herself and her family. There is no "but," only God.
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sarahsidor6 11-18-2008 @ 1:00AM
right on!!!!
Former sailor 11-17-2008 @ 10:24PM
Maddie McRae is a true heroine, and deserving of recognition for her Extreme Bravery! The best of everything to her in life! - But another act of heroism seems to be almost overlooked in this story: Jodi Porter, with her life in grave danger, had the Courage and Presence of Mind to forego calling 911, so that she could call her friends in the other car, and warn them of the washout! How many people, in that situation, would have even thought of that, much less actually made that call! Please, everyone, when you praise Maddie, include Jodi - two great heroines! And thank God that everyone in both cars was rescued!
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lynn 11-17-2008 @ 10:42PM
the girl says she knew God could get her through it and then the author states "but instead" and describes how she had the where with all to save herself. He missed the point where it was because of God that she was able to save herself and seven others
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Former sailor 11-17-2008 @ 11:18PM
Good point, Lynn. Some people, including Roger Sinasohn, just don't understand religion and faith. Atheists think they created all of the good in this world, thanks to their deity: a primordial pit of ooze!
ccwstauffer 11-17-2008 @ 10:55PM
A remarkable young lady, congratulations Maddie, on using your head and saving your family
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Diamond 11-17-2008 @ 11:03PM
God gives us life and He takes it away. It wasn't Maddie or those other people's time to go, so He was the one who saved them. No ifs, ands or buts about it.
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CC 11-17-2008 @ 11:24PM
I think that they were all brave and that little girl was smart and very brave to cross that log to save her family. There are adults who would have been too afraid to even cross that. May they all be blessed.
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Jim 11-18-2008 @ 12:07AM
Good for you, kiddo! ! all my best to someone who is so brave and fearless. wish there were more like you.
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Gail 11-18-2008 @ 12:25AM
Wow, wouldn't it be amazing if people actually thought God was being a bit rude by making them fall in the river in the first place?
I mean, let's just be real here and see how many praise God for saving them and just ignore the fact that God created the problem to begin with!
Let's just continue to overlook THAT major fact, okay? Mindless twits.
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Brittany 11-18-2008 @ 3:30AM
BAHAHAHA!
Exactly what I was thinking.
Martha 11-18-2008 @ 7:47AM
Gail, life is full or ups and downs, some are allowed by God and some are caused by man. The ultimate test of our faith in the Creator Who made us is to trust in Him when situations are hopeless and to praise Him when He has given us the way out of those hopeless situations. He is worthy of our praise and recognition!
Michelle 11-18-2008 @ 8:20AM
Gail if there is anyone mindless twit it is you. You obviously don't read nor understand the bible at all. God tests ones beliefe in h im with those kind of things, and htose that do believe like Maddie did, become the young heroes that he loves so very much, instead of the disbelievers like you that are well on your way to hells/fires.
JJCBE 11-18-2008 @ 10:33AM
I feel bad for you, Gail. If you think that God should keep all suffering out of everyone's lives, then you are delusional. We have FREE WILL. Which means that bad things are going to happen. But he can also save people if they ask for His help.
Why do you have to be so bitter about it?
Lenny 11-18-2008 @ 4:40PM
God doesn't do bad things-that is the devil's work. God only wants good and does good to save people from the devil.
Kat 11-18-2008 @ 4:19PM
Gail, Perhaps God had a reason for put her and her family there. After all she was able to get out to call for help and in the process save not just her family but the occupants of the other vehicle. With her doing this it allowed the occupants of the other vehicle to use their cell phone quickly to notify others in vehicles behind them to save themselves from danger. They were probably only able to use the cell phone once before it got wet rendering it useless. So countless other lives were also saved from entering the danger. I pray that some day you will have full understanding of God and the countless ways he places us in the situtations he does for a purpose.
Former sailor 11-20-2008 @ 2:40AM
Gail, you have no concept - you atheists always like to tell us to blame God for causing bad things to happen. That is equivalent to saying that if a parent leaves his children to play in the backyard, and a branch falls off a tree and hurts one of them, the parent was really cruel for making that happen. You have no idea how God works, nor where evil comes from. Before criticizing someone's religion, first learn about that religion. Until then, remember that it's better to keep one's mouth shut and be thought of as a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt!
Kathryn 11-18-2008 @ 12:55AM
I would like to know where this happened?
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F M Richbourg III 11-18-2008 @ 2:44AM
God does not force anyone to do anything. In this case, he helped the two young ladies think clearly under extreme pressure so they could make wise decisions. Because God increased their bravery so they could do what they knew to do, they saved all seven people. God had an important part in this in answer to prayer, but the girls also had to cooperate with God by thinking their way through to an intelligent plan and then courageously work their plan in order to achieve the desired goal. We should, therefore, praise God and also praise the girls for all three are praiseworthy.
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