Israeli child calls paramedics from hiking trail, helps save father’s life
11-year-old was hiking with his dad when the latter collapsed from heatstroke; the boy phoned for help, administered treatment and directed rescuers to the scene

An 11-year-old boy whose father collapsed from heatstroke during a hike last week impressed emergency response officials with his resourcefulness, as he administered first aid while on the phone with a paramedic and directed rescuers to the scene, helping to save his dad’s life.
The two were on a trail in the Amud Stream nature reserve in the country’s north when the father lost consciousness.
“He’s lying here, collapsed. I don’t know he apparently collapsed due to exhaustion,” the boy told a dispatcher in recordings released from the incident. “There’s no adult here. It’s just the two of us in the middle of the mountain.”
The child said his father had been drinking plenty of water but “at some point he said he couldn’t walk any longer.”
He followed the dispatcher’s instructions, checked his father’s responses, respiration and body heat, elevated his legs and placed a wet cloth on his forehead.
He also directed rescue forces to the scene, explaining where the two were and, when a helicopter arrived, shouting to indicate his location to the medical teams.
The father was rushed to hospital and released after several days in good condition. Officials said the boy was instrumental in saving his father’s life.
Dispatcher Yana Hush told Channel 13 news: “There are thousands of calls to the center every day, but I never thought I’d encounter an 11-year-old on the line with such maturity and determination, saving his dad on his own, bravely and while keeping a level head.”