Fair Oaks Boy, 11, Who Saved Father's Life Honored By CHP
RANCHO CORDOVA (CBS13) – He jumped into action to save his father's life after authorities say the man fell from a cliff.
Sunday, California Highway Patrol honored the young boy for his heroic actions.
"Fractured skull, lacerated scalp, fractured jaw, fractured vertebrae, swollen bruised ankles," Ryan Pritchard said.
All of these injuries and Pritchard says he doesn't even remember falling from a cliff into a tree.
"It could have got dark. I could have bled out. I lost a lot of blood," Pritchard said.
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Luckily for Ryan, his son Jake saw him fall.
"My dad was climbing down and he put his hand on an unstable rock and it fell and he started falling," Jake said.
Jake says he knew he needed to get to his dad's phone,
"I got his phone and called 911," Jake said.
Jake and his family and friends toured the CHP dispatch area in Rancho Cordova so he could see where his 911 call went.
Praised as a hero, Jake seemed nonchalant about the attention.
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It's his dad who really makes sure he knows how important he is.
"I'm just very proud of him, blessed and grateful to have a second chance at life," Pritchard said.
And even after an incident like this, both Jake and his dad don't think it's the last family hiking trip.
"I've been hiking for years and it's something I love to do with my family," Pritchard said.
Jake laughed when asked about hiking again. He thinks they'll be back at it in a couple of weeks – although his dad might need a little more recovery time.
