Everything happened in a matter of seconds: In the Chinese province of Sichuan, a two-year-old boy ran onto the street without looking left or right. A large truck approached from the side – and would probably have killed the child if a passer-by had not acted with the presence of mind. As pictures from a surveillance camera show, Ran Tilan intervened at the very last second.

She probably saved the life of the two-year-old, the boy was only slightly injured. The 46-year-old Chinese had to pay dearly for it herself. She was seriously injured during her rescue operation and fell into a coma, and an arm had to be amputated in the hospital. Nevertheless, Tilan does not regret her courage. “I’m glad I got hold of him,” she said, according to the South China Morning Post. “Otherwise he would be dead.”

“At that moment I didn’t think about anything, I just wanted to save the boy,” continued the Chinese, whose memory of the process is a bit blurry. “The child is only two years old. An arm is worth trading for a life.” At the same time, she admits that it will take her some time to adjust to her new life situation.

Chinese media reports that Tilan and her husband have been running a shop for more than ten years and therefore know many people in the area – including the mother of the two-year-old boy. She is so grateful to the rescuer that she has paid about a quarter of her hospital bill.

“She saved our whole family,” said the mother. Ran Tilan is also celebrated as a heroine on the Internet, reports the “South China Morning Post”. The lifesaver is now expecting a skin transplant, if this goes well she should be able to leave the hospital after ten days.

Quelle: “South China Morning Post” / “The Cover”