It's something of a stereotype, but the average teen tends to be a bit on the self-absorbed side. Even the ones who aren't all that self-absorbed. Adolescence is simply a time when human beings are completely wrapped up in their own personal dramas — and never so much than at the prom, an entire event devoted completely to angst and formalwear. That's why I'm seriously impressed by what a bunch of Florida teens on their way to the prom did when the van traveling in front of their limo started swerving, hit the guardrail, and flipped over on its side.
When limo driver Danny Izzi pulled over right away and got out to help the passengers trapped inside, the kids didn't stay behind snapping pics with their phones and posting them on Instagram (which wouldn't have surprised me). Instead, they followed him — gowns and tuxes and all — and went right to work.
"We kind of reacted to it, ran out of the limo and did what we had to do," said Western High School football player Frank Tucker.
Seven passengers were rescued, including a 9-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl, all of whom were taken to the hospital in ambulances with minor injuries. And the kids made it to the prom only 15 minutes late, even though some of them, like Krista Pulcini, had blood all over her dress. Still, "it was a good prom," she said.
Wow. Now these are some kids who have their priorities straight. Getting teens to focus on anything other than their own immediate needs and wants can be quite the parenting challenge, but clearly the parents of these prom-goers did something right.
Do you think most teens would stop on their way to prom to rescue people in a car crash?
Image via Tai Gray/Flickr
