As it turns out, TikTok may have a purpose beyond enjoying funny videos and learning trendy dance moves. For one West Virginia boy, it was a fellow TikTok user nearly 800 miles away who is credited with saving his life.
Trent Jarrett, 12, was livestreaming his high-speed ATV ride on Sunday when the vehicle suddenly crashed and the camera started tumbling. Fortunately for Jarrett, on the other side of the screen was New Hampshire teen Caden Cotnoir, who stepped in to help Jarrett when he needed it the most, according to WTBS, the NBC affiliate in Boston.
Gasping for air and requesting help from 911, Jarrett was heard by livestream viewers saying that he couldn’t breathe. He asked them to dial a 10-digit number that he repeated, hoping someone would be willing to help.
“That was probably the hardest part, to listen to him just praying someone was there to help him,” Cotnoir, 13, said in an interview with the news station.
He immediately jumped into action and showed the video to his parents for assistance. His stepfather, who is the police chief in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, helped Cotnoir write down and make a call to the 10-digit phone number that Jarrett shared in distress following the crash. The phone call successfully led Cotnoir to make contact with Jarrett’s parents, who found their son on the side of the road within 20 minutes. He was stuck under the four-wheeler ATV and struggling to breathe, but uninjured, according to WBTS.
A grateful Jarrett and his family called Cotnoir back that night to thank him, offering him money as a gift of gratitude. For the teen, helping someone in need was fulfillment enough.
“I mean, I am just happy that I could help,” Cotnoir told the news station. “That’s all.”