Girl, 9, Uses Unconscious Dad's Face to Save Her Family

When a Massachusetts 9-year-old heard her dad scream on Oct. 28, she found him with her unconscious mom—and then the father, too, passed out. Jayline Barbosa Brandão took quick action that is being credited with saving the lives of everyone in the house: She grabbed her dad's phone and, needing to unlock it using facial recognition, held it up to his unconscious face before calling 911. She then got her 7-year-old sister out of the house and to a neighbor's for help, CNN reports. First responders arrived to find Jayline's parents suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning; they, their daughters, and the girls' grandma were taken to the hospital, and all five survived.

Having been without power for three days due to a storm, the family borrowed a generator and ran it outside, but near the home's back door, for just a few minutes before turning it off due to the noise. Apparently it was too close: carbon monoxide levels of 1,000 parts per million (ppm) were found in the house; sustained concentrations of more than 150 to 200 ppm can cause disorientation, unconsciousness, and death. Experts recommend generators be run at least 20 feet away from doors, windows, or vents. "I wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t in the house," Jayline's mom tells Boston 25. (More uplifting news stories.)