Florida Worker Saves Two Toddlers From Busy Highway

John Brittingham was working in Cocoa Beach on Sunday when he saw something that made his heart stop: two toddlers, no older than three, running straight into busy traffic.

The dashcam video shows what happened next. Brittingham pulled over immediately, jumped from his vehicle, and sprinted into the roadway as cars continued speeding past. Within six seconds, he had both children safely in his arms.

"I was terrified," Brittingham told Orlando station WESH. "If anything would have happened to them, the rest of my life would have been ruined."

One child had already reached the middle of the road when Brittingham arrived. He grabbed that toddler first, then scooped up the second child and carried them both to safety. The entire rescue happened so fast that traffic barely slowed.

The aftermath hit him hard. "My adrenaline spiked. I had a migraine when I finally got home," Brittingham said. "I was drained completely for the rest of the day."

With two tiny children who could only point and say "oh," Brittingham went door to door looking for their family. No one answered his calls for help. He eventually spotted an open back gate and followed the trail to a nearby home.

Inside, he found an elderly couple and a young woman who immediately apologized. Brittingham's priority wasn't blame. He simply wanted the children home safe.

Why This Inspires

Brittingham, a father and grandfather himself, could have called police or waited for someone else to act. Instead, he chose immediate action when it mattered most. His split-second decision shows how ordinary people become heroes simply by refusing to look away.

The toddlers' family was mortified, but Brittingham expressed only relief. He didn't file a police report or seek recognition. For him, returning the children safely was reward enough.

His message to other parents is simple: young children need constant supervision, and a single unlocked gate can mean the difference between safety and tragedy.

Thanks to one man's courage and quick thinking, two families avoided unimaginable heartbreak that Sunday afternoon.