12-year-old honored for her life-saving actions after dad passes out behind wheel

The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office honored a 12-year-old girl: with "The Civilian Life-Saving Award" for her bravery and heroic actions. Kassidy Gill's dad had a seizure and lost consciousness while driving, thanks to her quick thinking, Kassidy saved not only her own life, but her dad's and her sister's.

A frightened Kassidy called 911 July 28, 2017 for help.

DISPATCH: “911 do you need police, fire, or EMS?"

KASSIDY: "My dad had a seizure in the car; I don't know what to do."

KASSIDY: "He's bleeding everywhere please get someone out here.”

Kassidy's dad Christopher was having some medical issues causing him to have seizures.

He had just picked Kassidy and her 4-year-old sister up in Del Valle.

They were driving on FM 535 in Cedar Creek when Christopher started having a seizure, he lost consciousness, and the car started going out of control.

Christopher had talked to Kassidy already about what to do if this ever happened. “He told me he was dizzy and he said that's what happened before all his other seizures. He said to grab the wheel and find the nearest place to stop.” She said when she saw an open field she knew what she had to do.

“I looked and I was like okay I should turn there and I went into the nearest field. Concerned about her sister and her dad, she started multi-tasking “It was going like (hand motions) really hard bumps and I was looking back and trying to get the phone to call 911 so I was driving, looking out for her, seeing how he was doing and calling 911 at the same time. It was like bumpy, I was like oh no this is it.” 

The moment the car finally came to a stop, Kassidy said she will never forget how she felt.

“I was like wow, thank you God. I was like were safe, all we need to do is get him responsive.”

Bastrop County Sheriff’s Deputy Dave Newman was one of the first to arrive, he said seeing the tire tracks in the field and the car sitting in someone’s yard he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

“It looked like some kind of divine intervention because the tracks, okay, is one thing to see a field and for her to drive into it safely but with the inertia of the car moving toward solid structures, a tree a house and narrowly miss all those and watch the tracks come to a stop right there next to the statue is quite amazing.”

That statue of Mother Mary is the only thing Christopher can remember from the entire incident, “Things that have happened you just recognize blessings when they come and a lot people don't. I have always been one to recognize things like that, little things people overlook. That was my first thought, someone greater than us had something to do with it.”

Bastrop County Sheriff's presented Kassidy with “The Civilian Life-Saving Award” for her brave actions.

“She deserves it, she deserves every bit of it,” her dad said. For her she said she's just relieved, thankful and happy her family is okay, and she could help. “It makes me feel inside that I've done something right and that if I keep continuing more good things in the world will happen.”

Kassidy's little sister Kristen was also presented with a bravery award.

Their dad said he wouldn’t be driving anymore until they can figure out exactly what's causing his seizures.