Teen Steers Out-Of-Control Car After Dad’s Seizure Dodged Traffic, Hit Telephone Poles And Hydrant

A 13-year-old boy took control of the steering wheel and dodged oncoming traffic after his father suffered a seizure while driving Monday.

The car came to a stop after hitting two telephone poles and a fire hydrant. The father, Randy Jones, was treated at Sunnyside Community Hospital and released. His son, Andy Jones, suffered a bump on his head but was not seriously hurt.

“The kid was just trying to control the car,” Yakima County sheriff’s Deputy Derek Artz said. “He did a heck of a job.”

His 11-year-old brother, Nathan, was also in the car and was unhurt.

Randy Jones, 38, was driving his two sons home from school on a rural road north of town when he went into convulsions. The seizure caused Jones’ foot to press down on the accelerator, and the car may have reached a speed of 50 mph, Artz said.

When the car passed through a stop sign, Andy Jones unbuckled himself from the back seat and reached for the wheel.

After eluding traffic for several blocks, the teen turned the wheel to avoid a head-on collision, Artz said. The car smashed front-first into a telephone pole, snapping it clean inches from the ground. The car continued about another 50 feet, hitting a hydrant and a second telephone pole before it stopped in front of the home of Art Perez.