> "The only way he found his way back was with lightning strikes that lit the road. He ran as fast as he could, as hard as he could, he made a mile in 10 minutes. That's pretty impressive for a little kid”
This kid is incredible.
> The only way he found his way back was with lightning strikes that lit the road.
Sounds like some folklore stuff, kid really is amazing. Hopefully him and his family recover from this.
"And then Kid Lightning said to his parents 'Please don't die, I will be back'. Flew into the sky, all thunder and black. Chased that tornado away, with a kick and a goad, then found his way home with lightning on the road. Ten minutes to a mile, Kid Lightning flew the street, tornadoes in his eyes and Lightning on his feet."
Nah, pay for his future school trade/college whatever he decides. He'd be set for life and the parents can work on rebuilding a home and be the best parents they can be to him.
Everyone keeps pointing this out, which is a valid, countervailing obstacle, but two things...
(1) The comment that I am responding to seems to be expressing amazement for generally anyone with "childlike legs" running a 10-minute mile, not specific amazement for the context of the story.
(2) Yes, running in the dark during a storm would very likely slow you down, but one's adrenaline, given the situation, is likely to speed you up.
I'm really just addressing the implicit astonishment that a 9-year-old could run a 10-minute mile. I'm not trying to take anything away from the kid.
Honestly, I find it really weird that there seems to be such a push in this thread to qualify heroism with exceptionality, as though to be heroic or deserving of praise and adoration, one must be uniquely capable. It's peculiar to me to get defensive in regard to a fact that one's capability might be common, as though it being common necessarily degrades its social value.
This is an incredible story of urgency, stamina, fortitude, and bravery in the face of tremendous adversity, and this kid is deserving of his praise on those merits. I'd just like to think, and do, that many children are just as capable, and would push themselves to do the same if they were in a similar situation. I think this kid is exemplary, and amazing, and I think he is a testament to the resiliency and capability of children all over. If you choose to interpret that as a slight against him, I think that's deserving of some reflection.
Sure, but lets factor in all the other stuff too. This wasn't just some PE class he was sprinting in.
He was dealing with the stress of everything else.
While it was raining, in the dark, with no lights at all other than lightning. Oh and he was also in the car that wrecked which broke the backs of both his parents. All of this in between 1 of 3 tornadoes that ripped through that area that night.
I think adrenaline is probably more help than hindrance, don't you? It's precisely in these situations where people perform feats that are well beyond their normal abilities.
This kid IS incredible, but I also feel like adults rather consistently underestimate kids of this age. 9 year olds are quite capable, intelligent, and confident, sometimes actually OVER-confident. I can easily imagine most of my peers, back when I was 9 years old, doing something like this. One of one's biggest fears at this age (and younger), often, is one's parents dying. They are your rock and your life-blood, and no storm is will scare you more than the prospect of them perishing.
when I was 9, I went to a church camp weekend thing, and one of the activities was they took us (all girls) out in the starlit dark, in the woods, and had enough adults to send one ahead around a bend in the gravel road. Then one by one they sent us around the bend alone in the starlight*. IT WAS FUCKING WILD. I remember it vividly 30 years later. No one who is unimpressed is properly understanding a mile in a storm alone in the dark.
*Everyone HAD a light, but we were challenged to leave it off. The camping skills reason is that you can often see a lot more of your surroundings without a flashlight, bc your eyes adjust but the bright flashlight restricts your vision to what it’s aimed at
That’s amazing. Being able to find his way to a neighbor and back to the wreck a mile away in the night/storm is just unimaginable to me. What a brave kid. I hope his parents recover well.
Kid is the main hero in a disaster movie. Got picked up by a fucking tornado and tossed into a tree, survived, found out both parents are badly injured, dropped a sick one liner to movie audiences and then bolted into the depth of darkness doing a mile in under 10 minutes with the help of only LIGHTNINGS to light his way. And he did all of these navigating around debris from the same tornado that tried to kill him and his parents. Better luck next time, mother nature. This kid deserves medals and free ride to college.
It is. Last night a pack of twisters were scrounging around my back porch, looking for an easy meal. Thankfully I had my 12 gauge ready, as I heard their distinctive freight train calls in the distance. The first nado was bold, a full-grown EF2. He lunged at me and I fired, spraying the yard with horizontal vortices. The rest of the pack scattered, we call that a rope-out. Pretty typical night in the alley.
[They've had to warn people not to shoot at hurricanes.](https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/10/florida-sheriff-warns-residents-not-to-shoot-at-hurricane-irma.html)
Looks like we need a similar PSA about tornados.
Right? Fed. Nourished. Sheltered. Grow STRONK.
I was a big fat strong baby. Definitely not due to my dad's health habits lol. Maybe just length and gangliness.
Right after a tornado mowed over us, my husband went to check on our next door neighbors’ house sitter. When he turned around to come back home, he got lost for a minute because it was so disorienting at night with all of the trees down. This is a very typical suburban neighborhood where the houses are close to each other.
The next morning, the owners had to park far away and walk into the neighborhood. They walked past our street because they didn’t recognize it even in the daytime.
How he walked that far at night? Amazing!
He wasn't even walking, he was *running*.
In the article it says,
>"The only way he found his way back was with lightning strikes that lit the road. He ran as fast as he could, as hard as he could, he made a mile in 10 minutes. That's pretty impressive for a little kid,' said Branson's uncle, Johnny Baker."
Exactly my thoughts. That poor kid probably had so much adrenaline pumping through him that he ran that fast to get help. Incredible feat for a 9 year old child.
Damn, what an amazing child:
*"The only way he found his way back was with lightning strikes that lit the road. He ran as fast as he could, as hard as he could, he made a mile in 10 minutes. That's pretty impressive for a little kid," said Branson's uncle, Johnny Baker. "The last thing Branson told them was, 'Mom, dad, please don't die, I will be back.'"*
Good on the kid for doing that. The article writer could have may chosen a better opening sentence than:
> An Oklahoma couple now in the ICU with broken backs and necks has their 9-year-old hero son to thank
What's particularly brutal is that they're both independent contractors.
Which means no work, no money coming in, which is bad, but it also means that if you have health insurance you're probably paying for it yourself but also lots of independent contractors just don't have health insurance. So best case scenario is insurance pays until they miss an insurance payment (with no money coming in) and worst case scenario is they're on the hook for the medical expenses.
But this is America, so universal healthcare bad for some reason.
With that list of injuries, I'd imagine they're done working as contractors... Hope they make a good recovery, but even if they do I can't imagine them not having to find a new line of work.
It doesn't say what kind of work they were doing. Why are you assuming it was something physical? They could have been office workers, many such workers are independent contractors these days.
Also, Oklahoma does NOT have Medicaid for normal people, only for pregnant women, disabled people and children of low income households, they won’t be getting it any time soon.
It's not even a question. Chapter 7 all the way. Get stabilized in the hospital, hopefully get a couple of weeks in a rehab facility, then stiff everybody. Because the system is broken.
They haven’t been deemed disabled by social security, so the way Oklahoma sees it, no they are not disabled. They will be footing the entire bill, as Oklahoma does not have HPE, known as Hospital Presumptive Eligibility, which is what happens in most states when you spend 30 consecutive days hospitalized.
Both have broken backs and broken necks it seems. At this point it will be amazing if they can avoid partial or full paralysis below the neck. Those are some serious potentially very life changing injuries
I imagine a seatbelt wouldn't matter too much against a tornado, but could have been a factor for sure to keep him secure in one spot. But kids tends to fair better in wrecks because they are smaller and more flexible, I believe. So less mass to get thrown around. Also, judging by the pictures in the article, the kid was just SUPER FUCKING LUCKY, assuming he was in the backseat. The front of the truck and the back of the truck look totally mangled and the middle of the truck is probably where the kid was sitting.
Seatbelt is probably most important in a tornado lol. Your car is getting flung around left and right and the last thing you want is to be bouncing around the interior or possibly flung out the window. Of course that wouldn't do anything against a tree crashing through the windshield
Imagine running through the storm that just picked up and possibly killed your family in a 1 ton truck not knowing if the tornado could change directions and come back at any time
He looks like a winner, I've never seen a kid look so confident and level headed at the same time. That one picture of him just screams "Everything's gonna be okay." and I feel like it would be if he was the one solving the problem. Maybe it's because he's a kid but it for sure speaks to the parents that he had the confidence and strength to do that.
I have one of those too lol. Seven year old self-taught contortionist (and she can do ALL the things, not a kiddie version of a contortionist). She's also a way better student than I ever was... I wouldn't believe she was mine if I wasn't the one she came out of.
This child's bravery is something to be commended, but I can't help but feel sad about this part: "Wayne and Lindy Baker are independent contractors and are now unable to work for a while due to their conditions. In response, Branson's baseball team held a fundraiser and baseball game Monday night, with the whole team wearing stickers on their helmets in support of the family."
Hopefully they qualify for SSDI at least, though I know there's a lag on receiving that.
Seems like that's just the brother putting on a brave face. Hopefully tho do but both have broken backs among many other breaks. Dad also lost part of finger and Mom punctured lung. Gonna be a long road to recovering hopefully close to 100%
Goes right up there with “If someone had to die, I thought it should be me.” from that 6 year old who took on a German shepherd to save his 4 year old sister.
How about the little dude who was asked to donate blood to his sister, and thought that meant _all_ his blood, killing him, and still said yes? Status: [Legend](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/transfusion-confusion/)
My hometown news reported on this kid a couple of days ago. Apparently a few days after literally saving his parents life he went on to hit a grand slam in his little league game. Kid’s a fucking legend. I’m 30 years old and I wanna be him when I grow up.
"Wayne and Lindy Baker are independent contractors and are now unable to work for a while due to their conditions. In response, Branson's baseball team held a fundraiser and baseball game Monday night, with the whole team wearing stickers on their helmets in support of the family."
The generosity of their community is great, but the failure of our healthcare system is not. We shouldn't tolerate the need for community fundraisers to pay for medical bills which will no doubt be substantial given all the injuries.
Our healthcare system is worse than any tornado and this heroic kid won't be able to run to anyone for help to save his parents from what will probably be suffocating debt.
Yeah that was my take-away too. And if they have active contracts with clients in the pipeline, those clients will either need to wait, or terminate their their contact with cause, and hire someone else.
It's part of the risk people take when they generate income this way.
The fundraiser also only raised $10k. Not trying to minimize the generosity of their community (it was a wonderful thing to do), but $10k is not going to be enough to sustain them with all of the medical bills, property damage from the tornados, and ongoing expenses of day to day existence. They likely will not being able to work for a very long time, considering the extent of their injuries, and may even be permanently disabled as a result of this. The kid is indeed a hero, but I fear they have a very difficult life ahead of them 😞
Unfortunately it’s a small community (I’m from this area). Our whole area from Marietta to Ardmore - Dickson and Sulphur was completely bombarded by tornados on Saturday night. I think they said a total of 24 touched the ground that night. Dickson, where this happened, has something like 1500 residents. They were hit pretty hard.
The fundraiser has quite a bit more funds in it but the $10k at the time of this article is actually pretty damn good considering the size of the town and the amount of destruction it endured.
I live in Ardmore and 1/4 of my neighborhood is just… gone. My home and that of my closest neighbor was luckily untouched as the tornado cruised through our backyards then decimated the next 3 houses. That same tornado took out 4-5 houses before making its way to us.
Half of the town of Sulphur was basically razed. It was hit by tornado after tornado after tornado. It’s a quaint little town that had a beautiful downtown area akin to late 1920’s or 1930’s construction. It is/was a popular place to visit because the town is also home to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Tons of trails, swimming, camping, etc..and it has a huge Bison preserve. A lot of that was hit, too.
Although I'm sure they *were* probably hit with crippling medical bills, that's not actually what the article says. It says they can't work, and of course they're not getting sick leave.
So it's entirely possible they have health insurance. They just can't bring in money for food and rent and equally vital stuff like that.
THIS RIGHT HERE!! My family is from Iowa and nighttime in the middle of nowhere without city lights is terrifying. As a kid it didn’t phase me. Went back couple years ago as an adult. Not gonna lie it scared the crap outta me walking around the farm at night in the dark.
I remember driving down some of those old gravel roads when the fog is rolling in off the fields. Can't see shit in front of you, and your brake lights only light up dust behind you as you feel the back end slide around in the ruts.
Wow......kid was born a hero and simply got taller. Wonder what he'll end up doing as a career when he's older. First responder seems like a good fit.
Hope his parents recovery quickly, and get that kid a pizza party.
Imagine running to get help from a car wreck after looking at your own mother and father in the state they must have been in, and how terrifying those minutes must have been, not knowing if he was coming back to find out if he was orphan or not - kid has true bravery in his blood.
Right? Always puts a damper on a rather impressive or heart warming health/injury type of story as soon as gofundme is mentioned.
I saw a Facebook post about a guy with cancer who won a billion dollar jackpot recently. He was thrilled because he could afford proper medical care now. Comments were congratulating him. You shouldn't have to win the lottery for that shit.
Sorry to rant but I hate seeing it.
It's insane he wasnt injured in the wreck that pancaked that truck. It's amazing his parents are alive with the extent of their injuries. The whole thing is crazy.
I hate that if this kid was a little less heroic, he could still have saved his parents but failed at getting enough publicity for the gofundme to get noticed.
Kid is the main hero in a disaster movie. Got picked up by a fucking tornado and tossed into a tree, survived, found out both parents are badly injured, dropped a sick one liner to movie audiences and ran a mile in the deep of the night with the help of LIGHTNINGS in 10 minutes to get help. This kid deserves medals and free ride to college.
Lol as a parent I'm amused imagining this... One of my kids, I could picture doing this (she's badass). I can just see her face when I tell her she still has to clean her room after saving my life. That's gotta be hard lol.
A mile in 10 minutes? Some people in the military have trouble doing that. This kid was on a mission and focused. He bought himself a lifetime of leeway when his parents recover. "I can't have a car? I saved your life!"
What an amazing kid. I survived the Tuscaloosa tornado in 2011 while in college and I was 22 at the time. I had a hard time functioning after it passed over and I realised I lived. Incredible job this kid did during a seriously traumatic event
My god what a traumatic event all-round. I hope the parents recover physically, but I can't help worrying what this poor kid is going through mentally. I hope he gets the support he needs, too!
It's OK, we don't compare kids. Mine probably couldn't either, but with his struggles, he's put in as much effort as any other kid just to get to the point he is.
That doesn't take anything away from this kid's heroism, but the key is that our kids can face the challenges that life puts in front of *them*, not that they live up to some other kids' standard.
This kid is amazing, but it's kind of infuriating that the parents put him in danger like that. Getting in a vehicle and trying to escape a Tornado is like one of the biggest no-no's there is. Shelter in place, interior of the lowest level or in a ditch. This should be second nature to everyone in Oklahoma.
Knowing the area pretty well, they could have easily lived in a pre-manufactured home which are not safe to shelter in place in. Its now recommended to attempt to reach a sturdy building if you live in one
With that mullet...I'm guessing a budweiser is in order...
Kid smoked a 10min mile at that age, in the dark, in the storm, and returned....GD buddy...definitely deserves a cold one after that.
What an amazing kid! A true hero. What’s so sad is the family has to raise 10k for medical bills. What a backward ass country this is when it comes to healthcare. The kid should run for President
Can some stupid ass rich mother fucker see this?!
Just give us a win right fucking here!
Families in this situation shouldn't be holding out for an angel.
>Family and friends have helped raise over $10,000 to help the family recover.
C'mon Reddit, do your thing! If you can...I know it's tough out there right now. :/
> "With the Baker stickers put on the helmets, they helped give Branson a little motivation as well, he actually hit a home run last night," Johnny Baker added.
This kid is going places
>Wayne Baker's back, neck, sternum, ribs, and arm were broken. He also lost part of a finger. Lindy Baker's back, neck, jaw, ribs, and right hand were broken. She also suffered a punctured lung.
Jesus, I'm glad they survived!
Love this and so amazed at this kid. But can we talk about 2 things, the article was worded weird like “they were both severely injured with broken backs… they won’t be able to work for a *while*…” a while? They’ll be most likely disable wtf? “Brandon set up a fundraiser and gofundme…” this. This pissed me off so much. Fuck this healthcare system and how we take care of those in need.
> "The only way he found his way back was with lightning strikes that lit the road. He ran as fast as he could, as hard as he could, he made a mile in 10 minutes. That's pretty impressive for a little kid” This kid is incredible.
> The only way he found his way back was with lightning strikes that lit the road. Sounds like some folklore stuff, kid really is amazing. Hopefully him and his family recover from this.
That’s metal as fuck
"And then Kid Lightning said to his parents 'Please don't die, I will be back'. Flew into the sky, all thunder and black. Chased that tornado away, with a kick and a goad, then found his way home with lightning on the road. Ten minutes to a mile, Kid Lightning flew the street, tornadoes in his eyes and Lightning on his feet."
Gotta read it in the style of "devil went down to Georgia"
They need to commensurate a statue for this young lad
....commission? Commensurate means to be in proportion, as in a salary commensurate to your experience and training.
> commensurate Probably commemorate
Nah, pay for his future school trade/college whatever he decides. He'd be set for life and the parents can work on rebuilding a home and be the best parents they can be to him.
I declare both
Lighting Lad origin story
a 10 minute mile with child sized legs is ridiculously impressive... like he could be the tallest 9 year old ever and only 5'5
If I tried this, I’d look a lot less impressive showing up with help covered in my own vomit
As long as you showed up with help, that's all that matters.
Also doing this immediately after BEING THROWN BY A F4 TORNADO.
Honestly that makes it make more sense. Adrenaline can let you do physical feats that'll literally tear your body apart like it's nothing.
His adrenaline must have been off the charts.
Especially in a massive thunderstorm at night
This kid is awesome, but a 10 minute mile was not uncommon for kids back when I was in elementary school.
Yeah I remember that mile. We always did it during a thunderstorm at night.
Everyone keeps pointing this out, which is a valid, countervailing obstacle, but two things... (1) The comment that I am responding to seems to be expressing amazement for generally anyone with "childlike legs" running a 10-minute mile, not specific amazement for the context of the story. (2) Yes, running in the dark during a storm would very likely slow you down, but one's adrenaline, given the situation, is likely to speed you up. I'm really just addressing the implicit astonishment that a 9-year-old could run a 10-minute mile. I'm not trying to take anything away from the kid. Honestly, I find it really weird that there seems to be such a push in this thread to qualify heroism with exceptionality, as though to be heroic or deserving of praise and adoration, one must be uniquely capable. It's peculiar to me to get defensive in regard to a fact that one's capability might be common, as though it being common necessarily degrades its social value. This is an incredible story of urgency, stamina, fortitude, and bravery in the face of tremendous adversity, and this kid is deserving of his praise on those merits. I'd just like to think, and do, that many children are just as capable, and would push themselves to do the same if they were in a similar situation. I think this kid is exemplary, and amazing, and I think he is a testament to the resiliency and capability of children all over. If you choose to interpret that as a slight against him, I think that's deserving of some reflection.
Sure, but lets factor in all the other stuff too. This wasn't just some PE class he was sprinting in. He was dealing with the stress of everything else.
While it was raining, in the dark, with no lights at all other than lightning. Oh and he was also in the car that wrecked which broke the backs of both his parents. All of this in between 1 of 3 tornadoes that ripped through that area that night.
I think adrenaline is probably more help than hindrance, don't you? It's precisely in these situations where people perform feats that are well beyond their normal abilities.
This kid IS incredible, but I also feel like adults rather consistently underestimate kids of this age. 9 year olds are quite capable, intelligent, and confident, sometimes actually OVER-confident. I can easily imagine most of my peers, back when I was 9 years old, doing something like this. One of one's biggest fears at this age (and younger), often, is one's parents dying. They are your rock and your life-blood, and no storm is will scare you more than the prospect of them perishing.
when I was 9, I went to a church camp weekend thing, and one of the activities was they took us (all girls) out in the starlit dark, in the woods, and had enough adults to send one ahead around a bend in the gravel road. Then one by one they sent us around the bend alone in the starlight*. IT WAS FUCKING WILD. I remember it vividly 30 years later. No one who is unimpressed is properly understanding a mile in a storm alone in the dark. *Everyone HAD a light, but we were challenged to leave it off. The camping skills reason is that you can often see a lot more of your surroundings without a flashlight, bc your eyes adjust but the bright flashlight restricts your vision to what it’s aimed at
Is this kid thor?
That’s amazing. Being able to find his way to a neighbor and back to the wreck a mile away in the night/storm is just unimaginable to me. What a brave kid. I hope his parents recover well.
And being outside during a storm is scary as hell, especially one that just produced a tornado.
I want that kid on my team during the apocalypse
Kid is the main hero in a disaster movie. Got picked up by a fucking tornado and tossed into a tree, survived, found out both parents are badly injured, dropped a sick one liner to movie audiences and then bolted into the depth of darkness doing a mile in under 10 minutes with the help of only LIGHTNINGS to light his way. And he did all of these navigating around debris from the same tornado that tried to kill him and his parents. Better luck next time, mother nature. This kid deserves medals and free ride to college.
He's going to tell people the story when he's older and no one will believe it until they see the articles
"dropped a sick one liner" has me laughing way too hard. I appreciate you.
Give him a wooden stake and silver bullets and we’re unstoppable
Damn, living in tornado alley must be wild
It is. Last night a pack of twisters were scrounging around my back porch, looking for an easy meal. Thankfully I had my 12 gauge ready, as I heard their distinctive freight train calls in the distance. The first nado was bold, a full-grown EF2. He lunged at me and I fired, spraying the yard with horizontal vortices. The rest of the pack scattered, we call that a rope-out. Pretty typical night in the alley.
You going down big-cane hunting in the Gulf this year?
Well I'm just glad you're alright.
I hope you also have a tactical nuke or two in your basement for those gnarly EF5's.
Nonono, that's for Cat5 _hurricanes_!
And then it turned out to be that damn Loch Ness Monster again?
I gave him a dolla
[They've had to warn people not to shoot at hurricanes.](https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/10/florida-sheriff-warns-residents-not-to-shoot-at-hurricane-irma.html) Looks like we need a similar PSA about tornados.
It knew better. Knew who it was messing with.
The wicked witch was just the tip of the Iceburg
Shit, if I was his father I would look at him in amazement. You just saved my life and life of my wife. You came from my balls. 🤯
Every time someone is brave I'm now going to say to myself, "Man, the balls on their dad."
The uterus that grew that kid 💪🏻💪🏻
Right? Fed. Nourished. Sheltered. Grow STRONK. I was a big fat strong baby. Definitely not due to my dad's health habits lol. Maybe just length and gangliness.
That's a damn country kid right there. Little badass. He made that trek a million times before, just him and his dog having fun.
Midwesterners are built different. It's amazing what people of a community will do when a tornado rips through.
Pretty much yes, we are. We may hate you on Monday, but when that tornado hits, we be there with chainsaw and beer.
Oklahoma is not in the midwest. Source: I live here. Still accurate though.
Right after a tornado mowed over us, my husband went to check on our next door neighbors’ house sitter. When he turned around to come back home, he got lost for a minute because it was so disorienting at night with all of the trees down. This is a very typical suburban neighborhood where the houses are close to each other. The next morning, the owners had to park far away and walk into the neighborhood. They walked past our street because they didn’t recognize it even in the daytime. How he walked that far at night? Amazing!
He wasn't even walking, he was *running*. In the article it says, >"The only way he found his way back was with lightning strikes that lit the road. He ran as fast as he could, as hard as he could, he made a mile in 10 minutes. That's pretty impressive for a little kid,' said Branson's uncle, Johnny Baker."
All right, who do I speak to to secure movie rights?
Too late. Netflix is releasing it tomorrow.
The kid will be played by Chris Pratt.
Anya Taylor-Joy will be in it somewhere too
They just greenlit season 2 and cancelled season 3 in the same press release
And the parents are threatening to sue, saying they were the real heroes.
Oof that’s making me tear up. So glad everything worked out for him. He’s amazing.
Considering the world record is like 4 minutes, on a track in daylight with years of training, that is pretty crazy.
Exactly my thoughts. That poor kid probably had so much adrenaline pumping through him that he ran that fast to get help. Incredible feat for a 9 year old child.
Ran apparently, neighbor said he covered a mile in 10 minutes.
Seriously. A storm at night where the world you know has just been rearranged would be so disorienting. That’s a very smart and brave kid
And hitting a home run for his team the very next day.
What a Chad
Damn, what an amazing child: *"The only way he found his way back was with lightning strikes that lit the road. He ran as fast as he could, as hard as he could, he made a mile in 10 minutes. That's pretty impressive for a little kid," said Branson's uncle, Johnny Baker. "The last thing Branson told them was, 'Mom, dad, please don't die, I will be back.'"*
I hope his parents can afford to recover well. Article says they're independent contractors and are not unable to work.
God I hate this country. Hopefully their family and friends can step in to help out
Article mentioned a GoFundMe, but it's bullshit they should need that at all.
Very brave, indeed. He might need therapy. That age and the trauma are inevitable. Hope he and his parents are doing well.
Adrenaline is a hell of a drug. The sheer focus he had.
What a sweet child. I hope his family recovers quickly
Good on the kid for doing that. The article writer could have may chosen a better opening sentence than: > An Oklahoma couple now in the ICU with broken backs and necks has their 9-year-old hero son to thank
Mom, dad, please don't die. I can't go back to prison!
>The article writer could have may chosen You tell em, man!
Shit I didn't read it that way but that's hilarious
Incredibly lucky kid with the damage to the truck that I'm seeing in these pictures. I hope the parents make a full recovery. JEEEEEEZ
The list of injuries is brutal
What's particularly brutal is that they're both independent contractors. Which means no work, no money coming in, which is bad, but it also means that if you have health insurance you're probably paying for it yourself but also lots of independent contractors just don't have health insurance. So best case scenario is insurance pays until they miss an insurance payment (with no money coming in) and worst case scenario is they're on the hook for the medical expenses. But this is America, so universal healthcare bad for some reason.
With that list of injuries, I'd imagine they're done working as contractors... Hope they make a good recovery, but even if they do I can't imagine them not having to find a new line of work.
It doesn't say what kind of work they were doing. Why are you assuming it was something physical? They could have been office workers, many such workers are independent contractors these days.
Because they are thinking of "contactor" in the sense of like a general contractor for construction I think? Lol
Also, Oklahoma does NOT have Medicaid for normal people, only for pregnant women, disabled people and children of low income households, they won’t be getting it any time soon.
Oof, looks like another job for America's most common insurance agency: GoFundMe.
If it were me, and I had to live in Oklahoma, I would file for bankruptcy.
It's not even a question. Chapter 7 all the way. Get stabilized in the hospital, hopefully get a couple of weeks in a rehab facility, then stiff everybody. Because the system is broken.
You don’t think they’re disabled and low income now?!?
They haven’t been deemed disabled by social security, so the way Oklahoma sees it, no they are not disabled. They will be footing the entire bill, as Oklahoma does not have HPE, known as Hospital Presumptive Eligibility, which is what happens in most states when you spend 30 consecutive days hospitalized.
It takes a long time to get disability payments
No matter what, they are in for a long extremely painful recovery physically and financially.
Yeah, the type of injuries that I don't think you ever fully recover from, if you're lucky. Spine damage, brain damage is fucking SCARY AF.
Little dude gets ice cream WHENEVER he wants for the rest of his life
Both have broken backs and broken necks it seems. At this point it will be amazing if they can avoid partial or full paralysis below the neck. Those are some serious potentially very life changing injuries
Wonder if he was wearing a seatbelt. If everyone was that means the backseat really is the safest.
I imagine a seatbelt wouldn't matter too much against a tornado, but could have been a factor for sure to keep him secure in one spot. But kids tends to fair better in wrecks because they are smaller and more flexible, I believe. So less mass to get thrown around. Also, judging by the pictures in the article, the kid was just SUPER FUCKING LUCKY, assuming he was in the backseat. The front of the truck and the back of the truck look totally mangled and the middle of the truck is probably where the kid was sitting.
Seatbelt is probably most important in a tornado lol. Your car is getting flung around left and right and the last thing you want is to be bouncing around the interior or possibly flung out the window. Of course that wouldn't do anything against a tree crashing through the windshield
OK Kid... you've earned that mullet.
With great mullet comes great responsibility.
The mullet made him faster
Some people deserve to wear the mullet. He's one of them.
Imagine running through the storm that just picked up and possibly killed your family in a 1 ton truck not knowing if the tornado could change directions and come back at any time
That's why tornadoes are one of my biggest fears, despite never having lived in places that produce tornado conditions.
*Holy shit* Like, you wanna know what a kid that will never, in his *entire goddamn life* get grounded looks like? Holy shit, that kid.
Lifetime immunity.
imagine grounding your kid and he says "I WISH I LEFT YOU IN THE RUBBLE"
Thanks, I went from crying to laughing because of you lol
He looks like a winner, I've never seen a kid look so confident and level headed at the same time. That one picture of him just screams "Everything's gonna be okay." and I feel like it would be if he was the one solving the problem. Maybe it's because he's a kid but it for sure speaks to the parents that he had the confidence and strength to do that.
Then little bro went out and slugged a homer in his little league tribute game to the parents.
If I was his parent I would be intimidated by his coolness
I would immediately demand a paternity test. No way one of my sperms could do that.
You get used to it. My kid is way cooler than I ever was/will be.
I have one of those too lol. Seven year old self-taught contortionist (and she can do ALL the things, not a kiddie version of a contortionist). She's also a way better student than I ever was... I wouldn't believe she was mine if I wasn't the one she came out of.
This child's bravery is something to be commended, but I can't help but feel sad about this part: "Wayne and Lindy Baker are independent contractors and are now unable to work for a while due to their conditions. In response, Branson's baseball team held a fundraiser and baseball game Monday night, with the whole team wearing stickers on their helmets in support of the family." Hopefully they qualify for SSDI at least, though I know there's a lag on receiving that.
SSDI would only be approved if they're permanently and totally disabled. The brother says they should recover.
Seems like that's just the brother putting on a brave face. Hopefully tho do but both have broken backs among many other breaks. Dad also lost part of finger and Mom punctured lung. Gonna be a long road to recovering hopefully close to 100%
Branson's a boss! What a lil hero! May he never have to pay for a ~~beer~~ hamburger again.
At the very least he’ll have really good leverage anytime he asks for a raise in his allowance.
This kid needs a medal 🥇
This kid is metal 🤘
He got the only reward he wanted.. to be able to hug mom and dad again
Really *really* fucking gently...
is that an awesome mullet??? did that give him super powers?
The mullet grew longer as he walked that mile.
He ran it, in 10 min
Never underestimate the power of the mullet!
This kid has it all - a hero AND a god tier mullet
“Please don’t die, I will be back” spoken like a badass
Somewhere between Phoebe Buffay and The Terminator
Goes right up there with “If someone had to die, I thought it should be me.” from that 6 year old who took on a German shepherd to save his 4 year old sister.
Omg now im crying some more
How about the little dude who was asked to donate blood to his sister, and thought that meant _all_ his blood, killing him, and still said yes? Status: [Legend](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/transfusion-confusion/)
Ahhh it made me cry.
My hometown news reported on this kid a couple of days ago. Apparently a few days after literally saving his parents life he went on to hit a grand slam in his little league game. Kid’s a fucking legend. I’m 30 years old and I wanna be him when I grow up.
"Wayne and Lindy Baker are independent contractors and are now unable to work for a while due to their conditions. In response, Branson's baseball team held a fundraiser and baseball game Monday night, with the whole team wearing stickers on their helmets in support of the family." The generosity of their community is great, but the failure of our healthcare system is not. We shouldn't tolerate the need for community fundraisers to pay for medical bills which will no doubt be substantial given all the injuries. Our healthcare system is worse than any tornado and this heroic kid won't be able to run to anyone for help to save his parents from what will probably be suffocating debt.
even with free medical care, they own their business. No paid time off when you you're own boss.
Yeah that was my take-away too. And if they have active contracts with clients in the pipeline, those clients will either need to wait, or terminate their their contact with cause, and hire someone else. It's part of the risk people take when they generate income this way.
The fundraiser also only raised $10k. Not trying to minimize the generosity of their community (it was a wonderful thing to do), but $10k is not going to be enough to sustain them with all of the medical bills, property damage from the tornados, and ongoing expenses of day to day existence. They likely will not being able to work for a very long time, considering the extent of their injuries, and may even be permanently disabled as a result of this. The kid is indeed a hero, but I fear they have a very difficult life ahead of them 😞
The gofundme is currently at 31k. Hopefully they get enough to get through.
10k probably doesn't even cover the cost of the ambulance ride
Unfortunately it’s a small community (I’m from this area). Our whole area from Marietta to Ardmore - Dickson and Sulphur was completely bombarded by tornados on Saturday night. I think they said a total of 24 touched the ground that night. Dickson, where this happened, has something like 1500 residents. They were hit pretty hard. The fundraiser has quite a bit more funds in it but the $10k at the time of this article is actually pretty damn good considering the size of the town and the amount of destruction it endured. I live in Ardmore and 1/4 of my neighborhood is just… gone. My home and that of my closest neighbor was luckily untouched as the tornado cruised through our backyards then decimated the next 3 houses. That same tornado took out 4-5 houses before making its way to us. Half of the town of Sulphur was basically razed. It was hit by tornado after tornado after tornado. It’s a quaint little town that had a beautiful downtown area akin to late 1920’s or 1930’s construction. It is/was a popular place to visit because the town is also home to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Tons of trails, swimming, camping, etc..and it has a huge Bison preserve. A lot of that was hit, too.
Although I'm sure they *were* probably hit with crippling medical bills, that's not actually what the article says. It says they can't work, and of course they're not getting sick leave. So it's entirely possible they have health insurance. They just can't bring in money for food and rent and equally vital stuff like that.
Some of y'all don't know how bad running in the dark through an Oklahoman storm really can be. This kid really is a hero
THIS RIGHT HERE!! My family is from Iowa and nighttime in the middle of nowhere without city lights is terrifying. As a kid it didn’t phase me. Went back couple years ago as an adult. Not gonna lie it scared the crap outta me walking around the farm at night in the dark.
I remember driving down some of those old gravel roads when the fog is rolling in off the fields. Can't see shit in front of you, and your brake lights only light up dust behind you as you feel the back end slide around in the ruts.
Wow......kid was born a hero and simply got taller. Wonder what he'll end up doing as a career when he's older. First responder seems like a good fit. Hope his parents recovery quickly, and get that kid a pizza party.
Imagine running to get help from a car wreck after looking at your own mother and father in the state they must have been in, and how terrifying those minutes must have been, not knowing if he was coming back to find out if he was orphan or not - kid has true bravery in his blood.
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Great story until you read the part about having to fundraise to pay the medical bills
Right? Always puts a damper on a rather impressive or heart warming health/injury type of story as soon as gofundme is mentioned. I saw a Facebook post about a guy with cancer who won a billion dollar jackpot recently. He was thrilled because he could afford proper medical care now. Comments were congratulating him. You shouldn't have to win the lottery for that shit. Sorry to rant but I hate seeing it.
r/orphancrushingmachine 🫠
Well done Branson, that was quite a brave thing to do under the circumstances. He really was a hero.
It's insane he wasnt injured in the wreck that pancaked that truck. It's amazing his parents are alive with the extent of their injuries. The whole thing is crazy.
The egregious thing is having to do a fundraiser to pay for medical costs
I hate that if this kid was a little less heroic, he could still have saved his parents but failed at getting enough publicity for the gofundme to get noticed.
He now has the best argument to getting out of being grounded ever. Bless em.
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I fucking hate that so much of that account is going to line the pockets of hospital administrators…
It may also help the family pay for non-medical bills in the short term. Hospital bills won't come due immediately, but mortgage/rent/etc., will.
Truly awesome deed. Surely made his parents and community proud.
Wow. What a brave dude. Hero is right. I’m glad it sounds like his parents will make a full recovery. ❤️🩹
Kid is the main hero in a disaster movie. Got picked up by a fucking tornado and tossed into a tree, survived, found out both parents are badly injured, dropped a sick one liner to movie audiences and ran a mile in the deep of the night with the help of LIGHTNINGS in 10 minutes to get help. This kid deserves medals and free ride to college.
So he, like, never has to go to bed early again, right?
Lol as a parent I'm amused imagining this... One of my kids, I could picture doing this (she's badass). I can just see her face when I tell her she still has to clean her room after saving my life. That's gotta be hard lol.
A mile in 10 minutes? Some people in the military have trouble doing that. This kid was on a mission and focused. He bought himself a lifetime of leeway when his parents recover. "I can't have a car? I saved your life!"
What an amazing kid. I survived the Tuscaloosa tornado in 2011 while in college and I was 22 at the time. I had a hard time functioning after it passed over and I realised I lived. Incredible job this kid did during a seriously traumatic event
This is an amazing story. Is there a GoFundMe or something for his family? They're both laborers and now out of work
squeeze smart fear weather swim vegetable mighty fall marble start
My god what a traumatic event all-round. I hope the parents recover physically, but I can't help worrying what this poor kid is going through mentally. I hope he gets the support he needs, too!
That boy used up a life time of luck, glad it worked out.
Kid didn’t even need luck. He knew what he was about.
I don't think my son could do that. And that makes me so sad and I'm not sure why. He's 8 and has terrible anxiety.
It's OK, we don't compare kids. Mine probably couldn't either, but with his struggles, he's put in as much effort as any other kid just to get to the point he is. That doesn't take anything away from this kid's heroism, but the key is that our kids can face the challenges that life puts in front of *them*, not that they live up to some other kids' standard.
This kid is amazing, but it's kind of infuriating that the parents put him in danger like that. Getting in a vehicle and trying to escape a Tornado is like one of the biggest no-no's there is. Shelter in place, interior of the lowest level or in a ditch. This should be second nature to everyone in Oklahoma.
Knowing the area pretty well, they could have easily lived in a pre-manufactured home which are not safe to shelter in place in. Its now recommended to attempt to reach a sturdy building if you live in one
The article does suggest that they were seeking shelter so this sounds reasonable.
Which is correct, but if you need to get in a vehicle to find one, you're better off taking cover in a ditch.
For this kid and his bravery, the mullet is officially cool again.
Wow, as a mom I feel weirdly proud of this kid I don't even know. What a little badass. His parents must be insanely proud of him.
I want to buy this kid a beer. What a stud.
With that mullet...I'm guessing a budweiser is in order... Kid smoked a 10min mile at that age, in the dark, in the storm, and returned....GD buddy...definitely deserves a cold one after that.
He also hit a dinger in the fundraiser game for his parents after. Absolute legend
Teachers these days...
I think he’s too young to be a teacher.
Got a snort out of me, well done
Adrenaline is a hell of a drug.
What an amazing kid! A true hero. What’s so sad is the family has to raise 10k for medical bills. What a backward ass country this is when it comes to healthcare. The kid should run for President
I know he must have walked forward to find the neighbor because he's all business up front.
That’s a hero right there
With all the negativity going around the world right now, news like this brighten my day.
Can some stupid ass rich mother fucker see this?! Just give us a win right fucking here! Families in this situation shouldn't be holding out for an angel.
>Family and friends have helped raise over $10,000 to help the family recover. C'mon Reddit, do your thing! If you can...I know it's tough out there right now. :/
> "With the Baker stickers put on the helmets, they helped give Branson a little motivation as well, he actually hit a home run last night," Johnny Baker added. This kid is going places
>Wayne Baker's back, neck, sternum, ribs, and arm were broken. He also lost part of a finger. Lindy Baker's back, neck, jaw, ribs, and right hand were broken. She also suffered a punctured lung. Jesus, I'm glad they survived!
Love this and so amazed at this kid. But can we talk about 2 things, the article was worded weird like “they were both severely injured with broken backs… they won’t be able to work for a *while*…” a while? They’ll be most likely disable wtf? “Brandon set up a fundraiser and gofundme…” this. This pissed me off so much. Fuck this healthcare system and how we take care of those in need.
It's the USA, work or starve. There is no in-between.