[Pittsburgh, PA] — Laurel Highlands Council, Scouting America is proud to recognize Lyla Broaded with the prestigious Heroism Award for her extraordinary courage, quick thinking, and leadership during a life-threatening emergency while traveling in Carnegie.
While traveling to a dentist appointment, Lyla’s mother, Tanya, began experiencing a severe migraine and asked Lyla to retrieve her medication as they exited the highway. Within moments, Tanya’s condition quickly worsened, and she went into a full-body seizure behind the wheel.
Faced with a critical and rapidly escalating situation, Lyla acted immediately. She unsuccessfully tried to pull her mother’s foot off the accelerator, took control of the vehicle and guided them through an intersection. Recognizing the imminent danger of a head-on collision, Lyla made the remarkable decision to guide the car alongside a nearby car carrier truck, using it to safely slow the vehicle and bring it to a controlled stop.
Once stopped, Lyla continued to lead under pressure. She unbuckled her mother’s seatbelt so she could be safely removed from the vehicle, while the truck driver rushed to assist. Unable to open her own door, Lyla climbed out through the driver’s side door to continue coordinating help.
She directed another bystander to call 911 and instructed those assisting to place her mother on her side to prevent choking as she came out of the seizure.
Even in the midst of the emergency, Lyla demonstrated extraordinary presence of mind. While waiting for emergency responders, she contacted two friends to arrange for a safe ride home and called the dentist’s office to inform them they would not be able to make their appointment.
Thanks to Lyla’s calm, decisive actions and ability to lead others in a moment of crisis, both she and her mother, and those around them, escaped without injury.
“Lyla’s actions exemplify true heroism,” said Todd McGregor. “Her courage, leadership, and presence of mind reflect the very best of Scouting’s values.”
