Any mother who has been in an emergency situation with her child will know that your protective instincts kick in, often to save the day, and this is exactly what happened to heroic Kristen Hiebert this week.
The Canadian mother has been credited with saving her four-year-old daughter’s life, by lying on her to keep her warm after a car crash, as they waited for help in freezing temperatures.
The accident occurred on Sunday evening in Manitoba, Canada, when Kristen’s car skidded off a road and down an embankment, crashing close to a frozen river. With night descending, it was too dark to go for help, so Kristen turned her attention to ensuring daughter Avery made it through the night.
With temperatures plummeting to -13F, Kristen lay on top of her four-year-old to keep her warm during the 10 hours they spent in the car. The courageous mother ended up getting frostbite in her knees, legs and feet in the process.
At around 7am, when she had enough light to do so, Kristen made a dash up the embankment and onto the road in a desperate bid to flag down a car and get help. Luckily for her, Tina Dubyts was on her way to work and stopped when she saw Kristen in the middle of the road.
Speaking to local media, Tina recalled: “She was obviously frozen. She just kept talking about her daughter.”
After calling an ambulance, Tina and Kristen went down to the car wreck to get Avery. They wrapped her in a blanket and placed her in Tina’s car to keep her warm, while other members of the public also stopped to help.
Kristen and Avery are currently recovering at a hospital in Winnipeg. While Avery escaped the accident with a few minor scrapes and frostbite in one toe, Kristen also has a cracked rib and is facing into multiple surgeries.
A GoFundMe page has now been set up to help with medical bills for Kristen, who has been hailed as a “hero”.
Wow. Now that is sacrifice. We’re wishing Kristen and little Avery all the best with their recoveries.
