The kindness of strangers can never be overrated, especially when it comes to saving someone else’s life. In fact, a 34-year old mom’s life, and that of her four year old child 6, were saved precisely because of the goodness of a stranger who risked his own life to save them from a burning fire.
32-year old Ryan Pasborg was running late to get to his job one Tuesday morning, and he was rushing to get from his home in Green River into town. But as he was on his way, he noticed the strong smell of smoke, alerting him to a house that he then saw burning, with fire coming out from one of the bedroom windows.
Despite being late, Pasborg decided to stop at the house and pull into the driveway since there were no emergency lights or vehicles coming towards the house. That’s when he saw a young girl and 2 boys, aged 6, 8 and 12, coming out of the house. They told him that their mom and their 4-year old brother were still inside the house.
Without any hesitation, Pasborg made his way into the house through the garage door, which led straight into the kitchen. He later on explained to the authorities that when he entered the house, there was so much smoke that he couldn’t see anything at all. He decided to get down on the ground, crawling on his hands and knees into the kitchen until he finally bumped into something. It was the 4-year child, whom he swiftly picked up around the waist and carried outside to safety.
Since the windchill temperature was well below zero, Pasborg also decided to put all four kids inside his truck so he could keep them warm. And without any thought to his own safety, he went back inside the house to look for the missing mother. Again, he crawled his way through the house in the hopes that he would quickly find her, having to go further into the house this time.
Not too long after, Pasborg managed to find the young woman lying down on the floor. She already had some major burns and was struggling to breathe, considering the horrific amount of smoke that was in the house. He dragged her outside, and that’s when he noticed that she had stopped breathing and was unresponsive. Rather than wait, he opted to do lifesaving measures on the mom until she finally began breathing again.
Like the kids, he put the woman in his truck and drove them away from the raging fire. Then he waited for the emergency first responders to arrive on the scene to attend to the mom and children.
According to Sheriff Deputy Jason Mower, he had never witnessed so much selflessness and courage in a young man so willing to help a family he didn’t even know. Mower shares that because of his bravery, Pasborg saved this mom and her young children from sure death.
Mower said, “I think this is the first time in nearly 15 years of law enforcement that I’ve ever heard of a total stranger truly going above and beyond in a way and in a situation that many wouldn’t have dared to face.”
Sherriff John Grossnickle also said in a following statement, “Not only is it a blessing in its own right that Mr. Pasborg was in the right place at the right time, but his willingness without second thought to risk his own life to help save this family was the difference between life and death for this young mother and her child; he gave them a fighting chance.”
“There are no words to adequately express the magnitude of Ryan’s bravery other than he is a perfect example of what it means to be a real hero. His actions speak volumes about the true content of his character, and people like Ryan are a testament to the overwhelming power and strength of community that we are so fortunate to share with one another as friends and neighbors here in Sweetwater County,” Grossnickle added.
As if Pasborg hadn’t done enough for the family, he even spent hundreds of dollars to buy clothing and other necessities for the family, sending them to the grandmother’s house where the mom and kids are currently staying. Pasborg has been hailed a modern day hero, and he continues to prove that there is still so much goodness in this world, with people willing to risk their lives to help those in need.
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