Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - 34
Hometown HEROES
By Amber Lanier Nagle
Cayman Reynolds:
Teen saves two men
from fiery crash
R
ain was pouring down, and Cayman Reynolds
of Calhoun was running a few minutes late
one January morning when he jumped into
his car to drive to school. Reynolds, who always
takes the same route to Sonoraville High School
(SHS), says that on that day, a voice inside his head
told him to go a different way, and he listened.
" I came over a hill, and I saw the wreck, " says
Reynolds, a rising senior who is also a first-team,
all-region tight end for the SHS Phoenix football
team. " One truck had flipped over onto its side, and
both of the vehicles were on fire. I saw people
standing in the road, and I realized they were trying
to get the drivers out of the burning vehicles. "
Without thinking, Reynolds leaped into action,
sprinting to the nearest truck and yanking open the
driver-side door.
" The man was in a lot of pain. His legs were
jammed under the steering wheel, and his quad
[front thigh muscle] was torn in half and bleeding, "
he recalls. " I reached in and pulled him out to
safety. "
Then Reynolds ran to the overturned vehicle
and saw that the driver was caught in his seat belt
with no easy way out. As flames inched closer to the
man, Reynolds kept a calm, cool head and worked
quickly.
" The tools from [the driver's] toolbox were
scattered all over the pavement, and I grabbed a big
34 Georgia Magazine July 2024
wrench and used it to break out the back window glass, " he says. " I was too
big to climb in, but there was a smaller lady there, and I helped her crawl
into the window [of the truck cab]. She got him loose [from the seat belt],
and then I reached in and pulled him out through the back window. "
Reynolds carried the man about 20 yards to the roadside-out of
danger-and laid him down. He held the stranger's head and comforted
him until first responders arrived a few minutes later.
Soaking wet and covered in blood, Reynolds called his father before
heading home to clean up.
" When he called that morning, I looked at the time and was immediately
irritated with him, " remembers Greg Reynolds, a member of North
Georgia Electric Membership Corp. in Dalton. " I asked him why he wasn't
at school yet, and he just said, 'Dad, I had to stop and help some people' as
if it was nothing. "
At home, the young man showered and changed before rushing out
the door once again.
" I had to get to school, " he says. " I was late for physics class. "
Reynolds checked in at school without mentioning the morning's
detour to the office staff, treating the rescues as just part of an ordinary day.
Reynolds downplays his heroic actions, insisting that he wasn't seeking
glory. The 18-year-old says that the events of that day have reinforced three
important life lessons for him.
" Stay humble, " Reynolds says. " And if someone needs help, help them.
Most of all, always-always-listen to the voice in the back of your head.
I'm glad I did. "
Both men have recovered from their injuries and are doing well, thanks
to Reynolds' thinking and acting quickly.
Amber Lanier Nagle is a freelance writer based in Adairsville.
AMBER LANIER NAGLE
Georgia Magazine - July 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - July 2024
Contents
Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - Intro
Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - Cover1
Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - Cover2
Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - Contents
Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - 4
Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - 5
Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - 6
Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - 7
Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - 8
Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - 9
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Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - 33
Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - 34
Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - Cover3
Georgia Magazine - July 2024 - Cover4
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