David Mason has been hailed as a “hero” after the teen broke his back while escaping a raging fire before braving the flames himself in an attempt to save his baby brother
An autistic teen with a broken back was able to retrieve his young brother from a house fire in a stunning act of bravery.
David Mason, 19, was at his family home on Warrington Road, Wigan, when a deadly fire broke out at the property. He was with his dad, 45-year-old Barry, and his young brother Ethan, just four, when the blaze ignited on April 14. Barry tragically died as he tried to rescue his young son from the burning home, making it as far as the kitchen before heroic David stepped in.
The autistic teen, who also suffers from ADHD, overcame a broken back to prize his brother from his dying dad’s arms, allowing his mother to see him “one last time”. His aunt Jessica told the Liverpool Echo how he injured himself after escaping from his bedroom window and braved severe burns to retrieve young Ethan.
In a Facebook post, Jessica explained that David, who “struggles massively on the phone” was playing video games when the fire began at around 2.30am and was able to alert his parents and give his address and information about his family to emergency services. Not long after doing so, the flames reached his bedroom door, leaving him with no option but to escape via the window.
As he landed by the home’s rear entrance, breaking his back in the process, she said his father was “attempting to crawl his way out of the burning kitchen with Ethan”. The aunt added that her nephew, without hesitation, “pulled Ethan from the fire, seriously burning himself in the process”.
She added: “Once he had rolled Ethan on the grass to put out the flames he attempted to pull out his daddy too, just as the firefighters turned up to take over. He then carried Ethan to the front and placed him in his mother’s arms, allowing her the last chance to hold him and look into his eyes.”
While David was able to save his brother, Ethan suffered 70 percent burns to his body and died in hospital two days later. David was hailed as a hero whose “brave actions” allowed his young brother to feel comforted in his mother’s arms one last time.
Jessica said: “Because of David’s brave actions, before Ethan lost consciousness the last thing he saw and felt was his mummy’s comfort. The last thing his daddy saw before he passed away was Ethan being rescued by his big brother.”
Jessica said David “is a hero like his daddy” and that “nobody would have survived” without him. The teenager was taken to hospital after suffering severe burns to his arm.