Elders frequently ignore what children have to say, which is incorrect. Yes, children don't always mean what they say, but what they see or hear always has some connection to what they say in some manner. We still understand when people dismiss a story from a 3- to 5-year-old, but what if we said that even an 11-year-old wasn't believed when he reported that he had seen something unusual outside the window? When the truth was unravelled, everyone regretted not believing the kid's words.
What took place at Jefferson County one fine day suddenly brought the media's attention to Jerald Withers, a schoolboy whose actions brought people into disbelief.
Jerald Wither, 11-years-old studies in Festus Intermediate School in fifth grade. It seemed like any other day when Jerald left for school that morning. However, it wasn't going to end on the same note. When he was on the school bus, Jerald noticed something weird, that wasn't there ever before. But how was he so sure that it should not be there? The answer lies behind Jerald's silent nature.
Jerald has never been the over-talkative type. The boy's personality was more of an observer. That's how he has always been. One of those people who do some thinking before speaking. This is one great habit which was in the little boy since his birth while many people don't learn it their whole lives. So, this keen observer of things was heading to school that day when something didn't seem right.
Jerald loves to take the window seat and that day he was sitting in his favourite spot, and doing his favourite thing, i.e., looking out of the window. That's his daily routine, to sit and relax and enjoy the outside scenery. He has been doing the same thing over the past years and one can say that he got more familiar with the scenery than the bus driver itself. So, what was it that he noticed, that forced him to take action?
It was early morning and just another day for Jerald Withers. While everyone was busy discussing their assignments, Jerald, as usual, was busy looking outside the window. That's when he noticed something so strange under a bridge that it would not let him concentrate on anything else for the rest of the day. What stopped him from taking any action at that moment was the fact that he couldn't understand what he had just seen.
Jerald tried confirming it with the boy sitting next to him, to see what he just saw. Unlike Jerald, the boy couldn't notice anything noticeable as well as uncommon. Seeing his mate so sure that there was nothing outside, Jerald too tried to believe that it was just his misunderstanding. By the time he looked outside to be sure, the place was left far behind.
The whole time in school, Jerald couldn't concentrate. He knew that place, he used to look at it daily, and he knew that something was off but exactly what? He eagerly waited for school time to get over so that he could take a look at it. His curiosity made it an adventure for him. The 11-year-old wanted to discover the truth.
As soon as the final bell rang, Jerald rushed to the bus to grab a window seat on the side from where he could get a clear view of the spot. The boy waited for the bus to start and as soon as it did, he was waiting for that one sight and when he did see it, he knew he just could not keep sitting there and do nothing.
So, on the daily route home, through Jefferson County Bridge, the boy saw something shining. He tried to focus but the bus was speeding up. Although this time the boy couldn't finalize what this thing was he decided to tell an elder about it. He rushed to the front seat of the bus, i.e., the driver's seat to tell him what he just saw.
Jerald told the bus driver to stop the bus as they had to check what was out there. Instead of stopping the bus right away, the driver asked the boy what was it that he saw and Jerald didn't know the answer to this one. Even after not knowing what it was, Jerald insisted on taking a look at it, but will the driver listen to an 11-year-old?
Jerald never talked much nor did he ever behave the way he was doing that day before. The driver was shocked to see Jerald being stubborn and that too about something that according to the bus driver wasn't even necessary. The driver tried to be quite clear with the boy to keep moving forward.
As Jerald wasn't ready to give up, the bus driver told him that they had come far away from the bridge. He told the young boy that they could not turn the bus around just to check on something lying on the roadside or under the bridge. The bus driver had a strict schedule to adhere to otherwise any parent might complain of their kids being dropped home late and that would affect the driver's job. The boy has to give up.
Seeing the boy disappointed, the driver told him what this thing was... Wait, how did the driver know?
Well, the bus driver didn't know but to convince the boy he said that he knew. Yes, Jerald couldn't name what he saw but it was a huge shadowy figure and he just wanted to know what it was. That's when the bus driver said it was most probably a deer. Jerald felt like it was a waste to argue with the driver anymore. But was it just a deer?
According to the bus driver, the area that surrounds the Route P bridge was a rural area that was full of deer. Every other day, they get in front of the car and get themselves hurt. Across the road, there was a pond where they could drink water and that is the reason why they cross the road now and then. So, according to him, it was just a fully grown deer.
Jerald was asked to get back to his seat by the bus driver and not to disturb him while he was driving. He sounded rude and the boy didn't like his behavior at all as everyone on the bus was now staring at Jerald. After all, he had been thinking about it the whole day long. But then he couldn't even oppose the driver so he had to sit and wait to reach home.
The young boy was least bothered by the other kids' reaction who were looking at him as if he was some weirdo. He was sure that it could not be a deer anyway as a deer cannot be that big and that shiny. The boy had a point but who would take him there? Being a kid comes with its perks and obligations this situation made Jerald feel it.
While Jerald was disappointed that it was now over and he would never be able to know what was going on under that bridge, something would get his voice heard by the right person.
When the boy reached home, his mother, Brandy Overturf wasn't home. She gave him an extra key for such days when she had to go somewhere out, So, Jerald got in and lay on the bed and kept thinking about it over and over again. What disturbed him more wasn't the driver's anger but the fact that he would never know the truth behind the shiny object...
Usually, Jerald tells about how was his day with his mother but that day, there was no one he could speak to. Unlike other days when Jerald used to feel happy about being home alone, he was sad. He needed his mother to be there for him and so he called her. Brandy was out for grocery shopping when she received her son's call.
His mother felt that Jerald wasn't having a good day. She promised to be back within an hour and also told that his grandfather, Bob Bruenger would be back any moment now. Jerald kept the phone without saying a word and this started worrying his mother. She waited for the long queue to move quickly so that she could be with her son.
As Brandy told Jerald over the phone, his grandpa returned home within the next 5 minutes of disconnecting the call. Bob was surprised to see Jerald sitting quietly on the couch. That's not how Jerald normally behaved, something was wrong but his grandpa didn't ask.
Jerald was a playful kid who went outside to play soccer or stayed in playing Xbox and this was a part of his daily routine. He just couldn't stay without the game but he didn't even move from the couch that day. When his mother returned home, she too felt that something was wrong with him. And so she asked...
When his grandfather told Brandy about how he had been sitting there doing nothing for an hour, she finally tried to understand the matter. She has not only been a mother to him but also his first friend he would come to when things don't seem right.
Jerald told Brandy about the whole incident and she understood immediately that her son didn't believe the driver's theory. She could feel that Jerald was still stuck on the thing he saw but couldn't get a chance to see closely. To make her son feel better, Brandy decided to take things into her own hands.
Brandy knew her son well enough that he would never insist on something useless. “[Withers] knew deep down that it was something – it was not a deer. He went with his instinct.” Brandy later recalled in an interview. She showed faith in her son and drove with him to the exact location to see what this whole fuss was about.
Jerald's guts were right, when they reached the location, it was an injured motorcyclist. “He looked stiff so I thought he might have died,” Jerald remembered in an interview. His mother immediately called 911 while Jerald tried to understand what was the deal with this shiny object. So, he walked a little more and got the explanation.
The shiny object that he saw from the bus was a Honda CBR 1100XX motorcycle. It was the bike and the shadow nearby was the driver himself. The bike crashed a bit away from the bridge while the driver fell on the corner under the bridge. His injuries were severe and he needed immediate support.
Within 20 minutes, the Missouri State Highway Patrol arrived on the spot. The man who met this accident was Billy McMahan, a 36-year-old who resided in Bonne Terre. The bike was at speed when it slipped and got off the road on the side and later under the bridge. But did this man survive?
Jerald and his mother reached the location before dawn and this was the only reason they found him alive. Brandy reported the incident around 4:00 p.m. But McMahan was lying there for way too long because when the State Patrol arrived, the motorcycle engine was cold. They immediately took him to the Mercy Hospital.
Paramedics and staff told them that he was bad enough and there was merely any chance for him to survive till the next morning as his pneumonia would have gotten worse enough to take his life. The whole night doctors too couldn't say if the man would survive or not but by the morning it became clear.
The man was finally out of danger. “Who knows how long he’d even been out there… he was there for some hours. If Jerald hadn’t noticed McMahan, he probably would have frozen to death and not made it through the night,” told Mercy Hospital paramedics. For Jerald, saving the man's life was the only important part but there was something more that would be a result of his actions.
Brandy Overturf was so proud of her son. “Words can’t even describe it, It’s amazing. I’m so proud of you buddy,” she said later on. The mother-son duo certainly made a few things clear to the world that everyone should know.
Jerald’s grandfather, Bob Bruenger, himself was a professional motorcyclist and even today never misses a chance to drive his beloved bike that's mostly in the garage. The old man felt honoured to have a grandson like Jerald.
Jerald’s grandfather got tears in his eyes when he said, “He’s a great kid, He’s always worried about other people [more] than he is himself.” He was glad that they brought up such a kind-hearted boy who cared about others and knew the importance of humanity.
“I’m thankful that I saw him. It’s just crazy to think… that he could have died and that he’s alive right now – it’s cool,” recalled Jerald in an interview. The man was so thankful for the young boy caring enough to save his life. He personally went to meet him and thank him.
Jerald’s great job was highly appreciated and came to the notice of his favourite football team too. The Green Bay Packers decided to do something special for the 11-year-old. Jerald wasn't even aware nor he did do any of this to be rewarded. Yet, no one could deny the fact that his heroic action deserves respect. What did the team plan for him?
The Green Bay Packers sent him an autographed picture of, Aaron Rodgers, who is Jerald's favourite football player. Along with that, they sent him some more fan gear. The most significant of all was a letter, written by the team, especially for the little hero.
In this personal letter, the NFL mentioned, “It is our understanding that you are a loyal fan of the Green Bay Packers. So, on behalf of the entire Green Bay Packers organization, I would like to express our deepest appreciation to you.” The letter had more to say on the team's behalf.
It read, “We would also like to commend you on saving the life of Billy McMahan from his motorcycle accident. What you did was very brave and you should be very proud.” Jerald was appreciated over several news channels. His friends too walked up to him and asked him to give them all the details of what happened on that day.
KSDK anchor Ray Strickland was quite interested in Jerald's story. He went to interview Jerald and his family. Meeting a young boy with so much enthusiasm was an honour, “As an 11-year-old, for Jerald to have the wherewithal, on a loud and distracting school bus, to see a man in need and want to help was unbelievable.”
Strickland also added, “Even when his bus driver thought he was seeing things, [Withers] told his family, ‘No, I know what I saw, and we need to go there.’ That showed real courage.” Indeed, the boy followed his gut feeling and his mother believed in him if it wasn't for Jerald and his mother's efforts, the man wouldn't be alive today.
It is very important to listen to what a kid has to say. Parents have this responsibility to trust their children and give them the freedom to follow their instincts at least once in a while so that they can learn from their experiences.