‘Exchanging an arm for a life all worth it’: Chinese woman throws herself in front of truck to save 2-year-old boy praised as superhero
- A viral video caught the moment a boy wandered onto a road as a big truck was driving towards him before a woman ran out and saved him
- Although she pulled the boy away from harm, she was hit by the heavy vehicle and lost an arm as a result, but says it was worth losing an arm to save a life
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A two-year-old boy in southwestern China can thank a stranger for saving his life after the woman held him back from the path of an oncoming truck and lost an arm as a result.
Ran Tilan, 46, from Sichuan province, has been called a hero after she lost her left arm when rescuing the little boy, CCTV News reported.
A viral video on mainland social media showed the boy wandering onto the road as a large truck was approaching. Ran went onto the road and grabbed the boy and both of them fell to the ground as the truck ran over them.
A passerby came over and helped and the pair were taken to a nearby hospital. After a series of emergency operations, the boy was stable. However, Ran lost her left arm.
“What I feel is lucky that I caught him, otherwise he would be dead,” Ran said.
“At that moment I didn’t think of anything, I just intended to save the boy. The child is only two years old. It’s worth exchanging one arm for a life.”
According to Hongxing News, because Ran and her husband have been running a store in the local neighbourhood for more than 10 years, they have known many residents in the community, including the boy’s mother, surnamed Qian.
In gratitude to Ran for saving her son’s life, Qian paid her medical fees of 25,000 yuan (US$3,400) as a part of the more than 100,000 yuan cost of her treatment.
“She saves our whole family,” Qian told Hongxing News.
Ran’s husband said that Ran was very depressed when she realised that she lost her arm, but has since cheered up and is planning for her future.
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Cao Danbo, the doctor who treated Ran, said that there would be a skin graft operation for Ran and that if she recovered well, she could leave the hospital in 10 days.
Ran’s bravery attracted applause from internet users in China, with many calling her a superhero.
One person commented: “She is not Superman, but she is a real superhero. Salute.”
Another wrote: “She is ordinary but great.”
