In Oakdale CA Matthew Wilkinson was working on the brakes on his work truck with his 15-year-old son, Dalin, helping him. He was having trouble getting the rotor off the truck, so he shimmied up under the truck so he’d have leverage to get the rotor unstuck.
As soon as the rotor came off, the truck dropped down, pinning Wilkinson to the ground. Matthew couldn't speak but Dalin saw it. “It just dropped right on him. I was scared. I heard him make a noise like his soul was leaving his body. It was crazy."
Matthew didn't lose consciousness but had no memory of any of it. He just woke up in the hospital with punctured lungs, broken ribs and a separated shoulder.
Later he was able to review the footage from his home’s surveillance camera and realized that his son was the reason he was able to get free. After the truck dropped on him, Dalin ran over and lifted up the rear of the truck, taking enough weight off his dad so he could slip out from under it. Now, the proud father is saying he owes his life to Dalin. “My son is my hero," he says. "He saved my life."
Matthew said “I just ran over and tried as hard as I could to get it up enough to get him out. I never would imagine that I could budge a truck but under the right circumstances I guess we can all do a lot more than we imagine.