Child rescued from oncoming traffic after running onto busy road at Port Lincoln
A young man from regional South Australia is being hailed as a hero and legend on his own lunch break after rushing to rescue a child who had run into the path of a 4WD caravan.
Core items:
- Ty Robertson was on his way back to work after a lunch break when he heard a woman scream
- He rushed to the rescue of the woman’s four-year-old boy, who was caught in heavy traffic
- The boy’s mum left a heartfelt message saying she “can never start paying you back”.
The horrifying incident happened around 1:20pm on Friday in Port Lincoln when the four-year-old boy let go of his mother’s hand and got caught in heavy traffic on Liverpool Street near the roundabout.
At that time, 20-year-old Ty Robertson was returning from his lunch break to resume work at a nearby sporting goods store.
But when he heard the boy’s mother scream, “instinct just took over”.
“I was walking through the Coles car park and I heard this mother, she was screaming and I saw this kid running across the street,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide’s Stacey Lee and Nikolai Beilharz.
“Cars were coming from five directions and it’s a main street in Lincoln — trucks, trailers, you name it, they drive down that street every day.
“He was in the middle of the street, so I quickly ran over, picked him up and took him to the other side of the street.”
Mr Robertson said he did not initially consider the risk to himself.
“In retrospect, it was a stupid decision on my part – I could have hurt myself,” he said.
“But if I were to say that, I would have done it again if I had the chance again — I’d rather save the kid.”
The boy’s mother left Mr Robertson a heartfelt message on Facebook, saying she didn’t get a chance to thank him properly before he went back to work because “I was so shocked and the adrenaline went through me “.
“No words can ever express how grateful I am for you,” she wrote.
“You didn’t just save my son’s life. You risked your own life to save my son. You are truly a blessing and a beautiful person.
“My husband and I are extremely grateful. To think that you would put yourself at risk to protect my son says a lot about you.
“We love you for being here and are so grateful. Someone above put you into our lives on purpose at the most desperate of times and I can never repay you.”
Mr Robertson said he has not yet been able to contact her but would “love to chat and speak to her”.
“I didn’t want any credit for it, I didn’t expect this post to show up or whatever, I didn’t even tell my girlfriend what happened that day,” he said.
“It’s just something I wish someone would have done.
“You see someone in need, and you can, you help.”
