In Edmonton, Alexis (Lexi) Shymanski is seen (right) as she solemnly ponders the medal for bravery she has just received from the Royal Canadian Humane Association. It’s a lot for a girl to take in. But this girl has more than it takes to keep her head. On June 8 she clambered up a rugged 12-metre embankment in the Rocky Mountain foothills in her bare feet to flag down help from a passing motorist. Her mom had fallen asleep at the wheel and was unconscious in their SUV along with her baby brother Peter, ten weeks. We see Lexi with her mother Angela in hospital (left). Angela was in serious condition. She suffered a broken back and extensive internal injuries. Alexis woke to her baby brother crying and tried to wake her mother. She undid her car seat’s five-point harness, which she had done only twice, pushed the airbag away, kicked the jammed door open and climbed out of the badly damaged vehicle. As luck would have it, she was able to flag down a passing car with a family from Alaska who weren’t able to get through to 911. Another passing car, with Lise Lord and Richard Nowicki inside, turned around and went back to help. They were able to contact 911. Nowicki, a retired paramedic, and the unidentified Alaskan dad got the baby out of the car. Nowicki stayed with Angela Shymanski, recognizing she had a back injury.
