A young man from regional South Australia is being hailed as a hero, and a legend in his own lunchbreak, after rushing to rescue a child who had run into the path of a four-wheel drive towing a caravan.
The terrifying incident unfolded at Port Lincoln about 1:20pm on Friday when the four-year-old boy let go of his mother's hand and ran into heavy traffic on Liverpool Street, near the roundabout.
At the time, 20-year-old Ty Robertson was returning from his lunchbreak to resume work at a nearby sports store.
But upon hearing the boy's mother yell out, "instinct just sort of took over".
"I was walking through the Coles car park and I heard this mother, she screamed out, and I saw this, like, kid run across the road," he told ABC Radio Adelaide's Stacey Lee and Nikolai Beilharz.
"There were cars coming from five directions and it's a main street in Lincoln — trucks, caravans, you name it, go along that street every day.
"He was in the middle of the road so I just quickly ran over and picked him up and took him to the other side of the road."
Mr Robertson said he did not initially think of the risk to himself.
"In hindsight, it was a dumb decision on my part — I could have injured myself," he said.
"But, in saying that, if I had the opportunity again, I would have done it again — I would rather save the kid."
The boy's mother left a heartfelt message for Mr Robertson on Facebook, saying she had not had the chance to thank him properly before he went back to work because "I was in so much shock, and adrenaline was going right through me".
"No words can ever express how thankful I am for you," she wrote.
"You not only saved my son's life. You risked your own life to save my son. You are truly a blessing and a gorgeous person.
"My husband and I are beyond grateful. To think you would put yourself in harm's way to protect my son says a lot about you.
"We love you for being there and are so thankful. Someone from above placed you deliberately in our lives in the most desperate of times, and I can't ever begin to repay you."
Mr Robertson said he had not yet been able to get in touch with her but would "love to have a chat with her and talk to her".
"I didn't want any recognition for this, I didn't expect that post to go up or whatever, I didn't even tell my girlfriend what happened that day," he said.
"It's just something I wish anyone would have done.
"You see someone in need, and you're able to, you help."
