A quick reaction and calm use of his St. John’s Ambulance training earned a Langdon teenager a special honour.
This summer, Nicholas Junor went to Edmonton and received a life-saving award from the St. John’s Council that was given to him by Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Lois Mitchell.
The 14-year-old Junor didn’t exactly save a life, but he was the first on the scene when he witnessed a 13-year-old classmate get hit by a car in front of his house in February.
The driver fled and remains at large, but Junor reacted quickly, checking on the fallen girl and assisting her friend who was uninjured. He brought a blanket from the house and covered the injured girl, making sure she wasn’t moved until medics arrived.
“There wasn’t a lot that he did, but he knew what not to do,” said Nicholas’ mother Shannon Junior. “At the same time, he was checking on the other girl.
“She was in shock because her friend was just hit. It wasn’t a huge deal but he was the very first responder. He had just received his St. John’s first aid training to the Chestermere Army Cadets.
“I was more proud of him that he absorbed some information and didn’t let it go in one ear and out the other. He actually took it in and learned.”
The teenage Junor just spent the summer in Vernon at Cadet camp, learning even more about first aid training, among other things.
The incident happened while Nicholas was home alone, as his parents were in the city for dinner that night. When the truck hit the girl on the side of 4th Street, the best thing the young Junor did was remain calm, although he was also shaken when it was over.
The text messages his parents received were convoluted about a hit-and-run.
“We couldn’t tell what he was saying,” Shannon said. “It seemed like he was almost in shock himself.
“It wasn’t until we got home that we got a better story and we knew what happened and we knew what he tried telling us.”
Shannon accompanied her son to the ceremony in Edmonton and it was a fancy affair. She was happy Nicholas opted to wear a suit for it, as his mother describes the scene as ‘quite fancy.’ Nicolas was the youngest person among the 30 or so recipients receiving awards.
“Everyone who received an award had to bow in front of her and call her ‘your honour,’ ” Shannon said about meeting Mrs. Mitchell. “There was a luncheon afterwards. People walked around with trays full of wine.
“When each person went up for their award there was a brief description of what happened. It was neat to see all these people with their different stories from all different ages.”
