A Local Hero

It read, “We would also like to commend you on saving the life of Billy McMahan from his motorcycle accident. What you did was very brave and you should be very proud.” Jerald was appreciated over several news channels. His friends too walked up to him and asked him to give them all the details of what happened on that day.

Making The News

KSDK anchor Ray Strickland was quite interested in Jerald’s story. He went to interview Jerald and his family. Meeting a young boy with so much enthusiasm was an honour, “As an 11-year-old, for Jerald to have the wherewithal, on a loud and distracting school bus, to see a man in need and want to help was unbelievable.”

A True Hero

Strickland also added, “Even when his bus driver thought he was seeing things, [Withers] told his family, ‘No, I know what I saw, and we need to go there.’ That showed real courage.” Indeed, the boy followed his gut feeling and his mother believed in him if it wasn’t for Jerald and his mother’s efforts, the man wouldn’t be alive today.

Trusting In Himself

It is very important to listen to what a kid has to say. Parents have this responsibility to trust their children and give them the freedom to follow their instincts at least once in a while so that they can learn from their experiences.