How 1 Stranger Saved This Little Boy From an Injury That Only 1 Percent Survive

After a horrific accident, one little boy's head was internally decapitated and essentially just hanging on by a thread to his spinal cord. Luckily for this 4-year-old child, he's not only expected to make a full recovery but also one without surgery thanks to a stranger the family credits with helping to save his life.

An internal decapitation is a rare condition that occurs when the skull becomes separated from the spine. Less than one percent of people survive this massive injury and those who do usually require a major operation as well as a halo brace. However, little Killian keeps on beating the odds.

After celebrating Killian's fourth birthday, the little boy and his mother, Brandy Gonzalez, were driving home when their car hit some ice and began to skid out of control. Their vehicle slammed into another car, but luckily a police officer and his wife, Leah Woodward, happened to be driving toward the accident at the time of the crash.

As the first ones on scene, they immediately checked for survivors and heard the child screaming from the car. With the doors locked, the cop had to smash the back window open so his wife could get inside. He then guided her on how to help the severely injured child.

Leah sat up his limp body and securely held his head in order to protect his cervical spine from any further damage, common protocol before EMT professionals can protect his neck with a brace. She didn't move for over an hour, and her actions most likely saved his life — the slightest move could have been enough to completely sever the boy's spine.

"I'm trying to stay calm but inside I'm panicking. I'm thinking I don't know what I'm doing, and it was the worst feeling I've ever had to not know how to help," Leah said to KBOI2.

Killian's mother broke almost every bone in her body during the accident and is currently recovering at a hospital across the street from where her son is being treated for a ruptured spleen and broken arm and ribs, as well as the clinical decapitation.

"It's just so hard because I'm in the same town and I haven't been able to see him," said Brandy. "It's just hard knowing he's in so much pain and I can't be there."