Real Heroes

Elderly Man Rescues Freezing Boy

Arctic temperatures spread across the country for the period from December 23, 1993, to January 22, 1994. Detroit recorded its coldest high temperature ever with a high of -4 on the 19th. A high/low combination of -4/-20 translated to an average reading of -12, which made January 19, 1994, the coldest day in Detroit's recorded weather history.

On the afternoon on January 18th, 1994, in Detroit, Michigan, Sandra Harvey was on her way to pick up her 9-year-old son, William Darrin, from school. When she got there she was late and didn't see him anywhere.

She called her grandmother to see if he had stopped by there. She said no and to go the police station. As she was going to the police station she said a prayer.

Rush Yarnell, a 71-year-old, was driving by that day and he observed a child in the snow, trying to draw attention to himself. "I made an abrupt U-turn. Naturally, there weren't too many people happy with me, but let's say I hadn't had stopped. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to that child. When I first approached him, he was face down in the snow, lifeless. It was a pitiful sight. I've never touched anything so cold in my life."

Arnel rushed him to a police station and Mrs. Harvey, the boy's mother, arrived minutes afterwards to report her son missing.

When they arrived at the closest hospital, they put his hands and feet in lukewarm water. He got blistering hands, but he eventually did fully recover.

"I will always appreciate Mr. Yarnell and have a special place in my heart for him," his mom said, "That's the only son I have. I just thank God my son is alive and I thank God Mr. Yarnell stopped and did pick him up."

"Sometimes I pray at night time and I say he's my hero. I thank him for saving my life. If it weren't for him I wouldn't be here by now."