Ottawa Man Becomes 'Superman' to Save Young Girl's Life

Tess Koppelman, edited by Jason Vaughn
December 18, 2009


OTTAWA, KAN. - An Ottawa, Kansas, man may not be faster than a speeding bullet or more powerful than a locomotive. But to one little girl, Nick Harris is 'Superman' after he leaped into action with what can only be described as 'superpowers' to save her life after she became trapped under a car.

"He really is Superman," Kristen Hough, the child's mother, said of Harris, the man she said saved her daughter, Ashlyn.

Ashlyn, 6, says that she was walking down her street on her way to school when someone backed out of their driveway and hit her, pushing her out into the street and rolling on top of her.

Harris, 32 who was in his car at that moment after dropping his own daughter off at school, happened to see Ashlyn get hit. So he jumped out of his car and ran over to help.

When he got to the child, the 5-foot-7, 185-pound Harris suddenly became Superman, lifting the Mercury sedan off the child.

"I just seen a child get hit, pushed into the street and rolled underneath the car," said Harris. "I grabbed the car, picked it up and pushed and moved it out of the way."

Harris says that he still isn't quite sure how he did it.

"I've tried four or five times since then, (and) I can't do it, it's impossible," said Harris. "Christmas miracle, I guess."

"I didn't witness the Superman heroic events of Nick, but I heard all about it and I'm so glad he was there at the right time," said Hough. She says that her daughter has some scrapes and bruises and road rash, but otherwise she's fine.

"I didn't even break a bone," said Ashlyn with a smile.

"I was amazed because I was expecting her to be in a half-cast, the car was laying on her hips," said Harris. "I was just at the right place at the right time."

The driver of the car has not been ticketed, but Ashlyn's mom just hopes that people will remember her daughter's story when they climb behind the wheel.

"I'm hoping with all of this, people will just look twice for kids," said Hough. "She shouldn't be here and be walking. She really is my Christmas miracle."