Teen Girl Lifts Burning Car Off Dad Because She Is a Literal Superhero

If there was ever a situation where one could be expected to panic, it would be when a burning truck fell on one’s father and lit one’s whole house full of family members on fire, but one teenager kept her cool when that happened, because I’m pretty sure she is a literal superhero and this is her origin story.

According to People, 19-year-old Charlotte Heffelmeier was home in Vienna, Virginia, for Thanksgiving and was out in the garage with her father when the car caught fire and fell down, pinning her father beneath it.

“I was on my back, face up, and I was trying to get some corroded brakes lines when apparently the jack slipped and fell down on me.” Eric Heffelmire told WUSA9. He was pinned beneath the truck and couldn’t move, and then some gas ignited.

“I thought they’d be pulling out a dead body later in the evening,” he said.

But then Charlotte lifted the burning truck off her father, then got inside it and drove it out of the garage The car only had three wheels on it at the time, so she put it in 4-wheel drive. I don’t think that would have occurred to me even if it weren’t on fire and threatening the lives of my entire family, but Charlotte was just like, “Better put it in 4-wheel drive.”

“I didn’t want the entire house to explode with the truck, so I started the truck, put it four wheel drive and just mashed on it with three wheels and just drove out. It left a nice groove on the asphalt,” Charlotte said.

And according to WUSA9 it was a GMC Utility Truck, and that thing is not small. Charlotte says she’s not sure how she lifted it, but says that at the time it didn’t even feel like she was lifting anything.

After the car was out of the garage, Charlotte closed the garage door to try to keep the fire from spreading to the house, then she went into the house, picked up her sister’s baby, and calmly told everyone that there was a fire and everyone should walk out of the house.

Then she called 911.

I honestly don’t know what is more impressive in this story, that Charlotte Heffelmeir actually picked up a burning car, or that she kept her cool long enough to calmly react to a serious crisis as though she were a step-by-step poster about “how to handle an emergency.” For both, Charlotte has been awarded a Citizen Lifesaving Award from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue. Charlotte deserves that award, and also a giant round of applause.