Very Brave Young Boy

KCRA -- A walk to school turned into a life-threatening ordeal for an Oakdale boy after he saw a car coming right for his little brother, then made a split-second decision to save him.

As 11-year-old Adrian Zavala experiences the "coolest" part of having a cast, he's now finding the words to describe how he got it.

"I felt a little nudge on my left leg, and I felt a big thump on my right leg, and I just remember cartwheeling," Zavala said.

On Wednesday, while walking his younger brother Jesse to Fair Oaks Elementary School, a car turned the corner of North Lee Avenue and Pontiac Street and right into the boys' path.

"I had just sent them off ... I heard sirens ... and I just got a feeling that something's wrong ... and sure enough my phone just started blowing up," stepfather Alfred Vegas said.

Zavala said he saw a white hood and window, and "couldn't really remember anything after that."

What he can't remember is what people in Oakdale are talking about -- that Adrian pushed his little brother out of the way and took the brunt of the car's impact.

Zavala broke his femur and was in the hospital for three days.

Now, he and his brother are getting a lot of support from their friends.

The family's back under one roof for the holidays, and one harrowing experience is reminding them how wonderful that is.

"I hate to think about, if he didn't do what he did, what the results might be," mother Siarah Vegas.

Source: KCRA