Rural Carrier Associate Kevin Lippy was delivering mail in Powhatan, VA, in August when he was involved in a two-vehicle accident.
Lippy, who sustained minor injuries, quickly grew concerned about a 3-year-old boy, Jojo Seabrook, who was pinned underneath the car that was being driven by his babysitter when the collision occurred.
Neither Jojo nor the other passenger, his 4-year-old sister, were secured in car seats or safety belts. Lippy and passersby who stopped to help feared for the gravely injured boy’s life.
Unable to lift the car enough to free Jojo, the group soon located a jack that allowed them to safely extricate him by the time emergency responders arrived via helicopter to take him to a trauma center.
Jojo’s sister and babysitter, who faced charges for reckless driving and seatbelt violations, sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Lippy later attended a reunion the local sheriff hosted for Jojo, who is recovering from the accident, and his rescuers.
The sheriff presented certificates of meritorious community service to the group, and Jojo’s mother, Shequita Carter, had her first chance to meet them.
“I just want to thank everyone that helped him, that was there to save his life, because this was scary for me,” Carter said, according to coverage in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.