12-Year-Old Girl Praised for Saving 5-Year-Old Sister and 2 More Children After Car Crash: 'Sage Is So Rare'
First responders honored Sage Hopper, who led three other children including her injured 5-year-old sister, to safety in the October accident
Air Methods
A 12-year-old Georgia girl is being praised for her quick-thinking following a serious car accident that injured her 5-year-old sister.
Sage Hopper jumped to action in the moments after the car she was riding in was T-boned in the crash, AirLife Georgia said in a news release obtained by PEOPLE.
Hopper, along with her sister Elaine and two other children were in a Jeep Renegade driven by their friend’s mom Alicia Smith when the accident occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 16, near Zebulon, about an hour south of Atlanta.
With Smith trapped in the vehicle after the accident, Hopper got the children out of the car and led them to a nearby ditch where they waited for help, according to AirLife.
Related: Calif. Man Survives Car Crash Despite Traffic Pole Nearly Splitting His Vehicle in Half
When authorities arrived, Elaine was transported by AirLife 1 to Arthur M. Blank Children’s Hospital in Atlanta, and she was released from the hospital later that day.
On Saturday, Nov. 30, the girls and their parents, Megan and Tyler Hopper, were reunited with AirLife first responders who lauded Sage's innate impulse to help others in the aftermath of the accident.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Sage is so rare,” flight nurse Sasha White, who was among those who responded to the crash, said in the release. “She has that ‘it factor’ in her. You either have it in you or you don’t, and she has it in her.”
Sage's father, Tyler Hopper agrees, adding: “I wasn’t surprised by what Sage did that day. When we got home from the hospital that night, Sage was talking about what happened, and I just told her what she did was awesome.”
Related: American Man, 72, Falls Overboard from Cruise Ship Ahead of Arrival in San Francisco: Reports
Before the accident, family members said Sage actually aspired to be a flight nurse or paramedic.
“I just want to help people,” Sage said at the gathering, where she was presented with a certificate of heroism, along with a stethoscope.
White, wowed by Sage’s strength, was herself inspired by the young girl: “I hope one day to be flying with her,” she said.
