Fort Collins Middle School Principal Saves Runaway Car!

School teachers are often called "Heroes". In this case, the moniker fits!

A crazy, crazy story where luckily no one was seriously hurt.  The principal of Lesher Middle School in Fort Collins was driving around town in the area of Harmony and Timberline. He was on his way to pick up one of his daughters; his other daughter was with him to run the errand. Running and errand would turn into him running to stop a runaway car!

According to the story in The Coloradoan, Tom Dodd, Principal at Lesher Middle School, was driving on Friday (Aug 22) to pick up one his daughters, while his other daughter was with him in the car. They get through the intersection there at Harmony and Timberline, he looks around and there’s this sedan making a beeline for him! He swerves out of the way, and the sedan just plows into an Escape- (debris from the Escape’s airbag busted Tim’s back window!) The Escape goes rolling ending up on its side!  Tim moves his car off to the side of the road to help out the driver of the Escape and realizes that the sedan is still moving – at a pretty good clip- it’s now a runaway car heading towards First National Bank!

From The Coloradoan:

Dodd jumped back in his car, drove south on Timberline and parked in the lot by Old Chicago's.

He started running toward the car.

In what Dodd estimated was a 50-yard dash, he caught up; climbed into the sedan through the passenger door; took the wheel with his left hand; stepped on the brakes with his left foot; put the car in neutral and stopped the car.

The driver of the Crown Victoria sedan, a 79-year-old woman, had gotten flustered and couldn't find the brakes.

Luckily no one was seriously injured- no one even had to go to the hospital.

Tom credits his ‘Dad’ instincts at the time, as his daughter was hunkered down inside his car while all this went down.

Citizen. Dad. Principal. Hero. Nice work, Tom!!

[Source: The Coloradoan]