Young heroes: Wayne County teens saved lives

Everybody always talks about the bad ones -- the youths who are in trouble or not making good grades.

So, when the news about the good ones comes along, sometimes it is overshadowed.

Today, Wayne County has multiple reasons to be proud -- and to remember that the next generation is full of young people who get it.

A group of six teenagers enjoying an afternoon of swimming heard an accident -- a bad one -- along the roadway.

They did not keep swimming. They did not hesitate. They knew there were people trapped in the car and that it was a very dangerous situation.

So, they ran to help.

There are many adults who would not have bothered to get involved -- and still more who would have panicked and not known what to do.

Not these young people. They knew they needed to act quickly -- and they did.

Without their actions, there could have been even more tragedy on that accident scene. These young people are heroes -- and they should be recognized by their communities as such.

But they are not the only ones who deserve credit.

Children with good values and a sense of responsibility aren't born that way. This is what happens when parents teach their children that the world does not revolve around them and their needs -- and when they explain that there are times when you have to step up and do what is right, no matter how hard it is.

These parents should be commended, too, for doing their job right.

Published in Editorials on June 8, 2011 10:40 AM