Sometimes all you need is a bit of courage, a little luck and a good 911 operator to save the day. That’s what one Minnesota teenager learned recently after her mother became unresponsive as they were driving back home from a volleyball game. Suddenly, Barbara Foss lost consciousness and Abby Foss, 13, immediately jumped into action.
“I kind of realized something was wrong. And so I didn’t think it was really an emergency, so I looked up the Bemidji police phone number, but it wasn’t loading, so I just thought I should just call 911.”
Her mom said she was having trouble focusing and, though she didn’t know it then, was having a low blood sugar attack. “I was very confused, really confused,” Barbara said. “It reminded me of when I was in my twenties and made choices with intoxicating beverages. And so, yeah, I felt drunk.”
Minnesota teen Abby Foss has been honored by her local sheriff’s office for jumping into action when her mother had a medical emergency while driving. Photo by Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office
After her mom lost consciousness, Abby called 911, all the while taking the wheel and trying to steer the car. “She was kind of steering into the ditch. So I was like, ‘Oh I probably have to steer now,’” Abby said.
So I started steering. It was really scary.”
But with Barbara’s foot still on the gas pedal, the vehicle kept speeding up. “I just kept thinking, like, ‘All right, if they go in the ditch or hit another vehicle,’ like, that’s all that – that was what I was scared was gonna happen,” Abby said. “(That we) were going to hit somebody else or, you know, go in the ditch and hit a tree or something.”
When the 911 dispatcher, Sydney Weniger, heard what Abby’s emergency was, she worked to keep the teenager calm, and help her bring the speeding car to a stop. “She told me to put it in neutral. So we were kind of like half on the road, half off the road, just waiting for the car to slow down ’cause then we were, like, going 20. And then, like slowly slowing down,” Abby said. Once they were stopped, it took only a few minutes for rescuers to arrive and get her mother to a nearby hospital.
Sydney Weniger talks about Abby Foss. Photo from YouTube
Now fully recovered, Barbara said she couldn’t be prouder of her daughter. “She is very brave,” she said.
That was a very smart thing to do.”
Abby, meanwhile, was recognized recently with an award from the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office for her courage and bravery. She was also able to meet with the 911 dispatcher who helped her that night. Weniger said she was impressed with how the teen handled the situation.
“She was so calm,” Weniger said. “That’s why I felt that there was something we had to do and give her an award ’cause she was so calm. No adult, I think has been that calm for me in a situation like that.” Watch below to see Abby and her mother talk about what happened.
