posted December 02, 2024

GRIFFIN, GA, Dec. 2, 2024 – For Megan and Tyler Hopper, the news of a serious accident involving their daughters was the call that every parent dreads. Their fear, however, turned to pride after learning about the heroic actions of their 12-year-old daughter Sage Hopper following the multi-vehicle accident in October. On Saturday, the Hopper family and their friends joined first responders from AirLife Georgia and Spalding Regional EMS to honor Sage for her quick thinking and heroism that fateful day.

On Oct. 16, Sage and her five-year-old sister Elaine Hopper were in the car with family friend Alicia Smith and her two children when the 2015 Jeep Renegade they were traveling in was t-boned at the intersection of Cook Road and Highway 19 in Zebulon, GA. With Alicia trapped in the vehicle, Sage immediately took control, helping the children out of the car and into a ditch away from traffic.

When Spalding Regional EMS responded to the scene, Elaine was going in-and-out of consciousness, so medics quickly made the decision to call in AirLife 1 to transport her to Arthur M. Blank Children’s Hospital in Atlanta. Thankfully, Elaine was released from the hospital that day, but first responders credit Sage for holding her sister’s hand and doing her best to keep her calm throughout the ordeal.

“I wasn’t surprised by what Sage did that day,” said Tyler, Sage’s father. “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.”

On Nov. 30, the Hopper family was able to meet and thank the first responders who took care of them that day. After the initial hugs, the spotlight quickly moved back to Sage as AirLife Georgia honored the girl with a certificate of heroism as well as various gifts put together by the base, including a stethoscope, personalized water bottle and an Air Methods backpack.

“Today is awesome. I couldn’t get Sage a Christmas present this good,” said Tyler. “I’m just so thankful to the AirLife crew.”

As an officer with the Griffin Police Department, Tyler has been on countless accident scenes as a first responder and seen firsthand the critical care that AirLife provides. Being on the receiving end of their services, however, has brought new perspective.

“[Flight Nurse] Sasha [White] came up and introduced herself and told me she was going to be taking care of my Lanie Bug,” said Tyler. “I don’t know if I will ever be able to be on a scene like that again and not think about what the crew did for her that day.”

Before the accident, Sage aspired to be a flight nurse or paramedic. Now that she was able to see AirLife 1 in action, she’s even more determined to follow in the footsteps of her father and become a first responder.

“I just want to help people,” said Sage, modestly downplaying her heroic actions.

“Sage is so rare. She has that ‘it factor’ in her,” said Flight Nurse Sasha White, who was on the crew that day and organized the reunion. “You either have it in you or you don’t, and she has it in her. I hope one day to be flying with her.”

AirLife Georgia is made up of seven bases throughout the state, providing comprehensive critical care across all ages, from infants to seniors, encompassing cardiac, trauma, high-risk obstetrics, and various other serious medical conditions. Their clinicians receive ongoing advanced training through Air Methods Ascend’s in-person and online training program, allowing them to perform at the top of their licensure.

For photos of the reunion, click here.