Boy, 10, takes wheel for passed-out great-grandma

GOLDEN, Colo., Aug. 9 (UPI) -- A Colorado family said a 10-year-old boy was able to steer his great-grandmother's car off the highway when she passed out behind the wheel.

Darlene Nestor, who is known to her great-grandchildren as "Grandma Great," said she was driving from Cheyenne Wells to Golden July 26 when she suffered a minor heart attack and fell unconscious behind the wheel, ABC News reported Friday.

Nestor's great-grandson, Gryffin Sanders, 10, was in the passenger's seat and his little brother, Ryder, 4, was in the back.

"My Grandma Great was talking about some of the wildlife and stuff about the Great Plains when she passed out in the middle of a sentence," Sanders said.

He said he tried to wake Nestor before realizing he had to take the wheel.

"I could see over the dashboard while I was driving, so I had an idea of where I was driving into. I couldn't get to the brakes because my grandma great was in the way," the boy said.

He said he was able to steer the car into a muddy ditch, which helped bring the vehicle to a stop.

"I'm so proud of him that he saved so many lives that day even in oncoming traffic," Nestor said. "He's always been a great kid."

Nestor said she suffered a minor heart attack but is recovering.

Sanders said the couple who stopped and called 911 also deserve some of the credit for saving the day.

"I want to be humble about this," he said.