Sand Springs Student Braves Weather To Help Stranger

A Sand Springs high school student didn't let a hail storm stand in her way to help a stranger.

Just after Wednesday's tornado tore apart areas of Sand Springs, two cars crashed near 41st and Highway 97 and trapped one of the drivers.

It was raining and hailing pretty hard at the time, so there were quite a few people taking cover inside Mazzio's. Two of those - an off-duty firefighter and a high school student - were ready to jump into action.

Most mornings Mykayla Johnson can be found in her sports medicine class at Tulsa Tech, but when she's not studying she can be found a Mazzio's.

“I'm a student athletic training aid for my high school and then I work at Mazzio's,” she said.

That's where she was Wednesday. She'd picked up an extra shift, not realizing she'd soon be face-to-face with a tornado.

3/27/2015 Related Story: Weather Service Classifies Sand Springs Tornado As EF-2

“We were just standing outside, because I guess that's what Oklahoma people do,” Johnson said with a laugh. “We were just standing outside watching it.”

Once the sirens started wailing, she said everyone ran into the restaurant to take cover; and not long after that she said everyone inside started yelling.

“People just started yelling, saying there was a car wreck,” Johnson said.

Without hesitation, Johnson ran to help; and while the worst of the storm had passed the heavy rain and large hail hadn't stopped.

“My thing was just to keep her warm, dry and calm,” she said.

She covered the victim with her coat, pulled glass from her face and asked questions, while an off-duty Sapulpa firefighter freed the woman from the driver's seat and stabilized her neck.

“I just sat back and let him take the lead and I just helped him with whatever he needed,” Johnson said. “I was kind surprised I was so calm, but I think it's because I had had the training and stuff.”

Training she got from Tulsa Tech Instructor Jill Neiro, who couldn't be more proud of her young student.

“We can't teach them how to react to an emergency because we can't put them in that real situation in the classroom,” Neiro said. “My first thought was that we had a high school student who was willing enough and brave enough to respond in an emergency situation.”

It was a real-life experience that has Johnson looking forward to a life-long future in the medical field.

The victim was taken to a hospital in pain, but is back home and doing better. She said she is extremely grateful to Johnson, the firefighter and everyone else who came to her rescue.

One of the most calming things she said Johnson did was reciting scripture.