Oakdale teen lifts 6,000-pound truck off his dad, saving his life. City council honors him
Matthew Wilkinson had crawled under his truck to repair a brake when his breath began to be squeezed out of him.
The Ford F-350 slipped off its supports at his Oakdale-area home on the evening of Nov. 7, pinning him under a rear wheel. Teenage son Dalin happened to be right there, and he came to the rescue.
Dalin lifted the truck about 5 inches, allowing his dad to get to safety after a few seconds under the wheel. Matthew spent several days in a hospital with broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a separated shoulder.
On Monday night, the Oakdale City Council honored Dalin’s feat of strength with a framed certificate.
“You sure are one brave young man, and we want to commend you for your selfless act of heroism,” Mayor Cherilyn Bairos said.
Dalin, 15, is a freshman at Oakdale High School and the fourth of seven children of Matthew and Desiree Wilkinson. They own Wilkinson Electric Inc. and live off Rodden Road, just east of Oakdale.
The F-350 is Matthew’s work truck. The model weighs at least 6,000 pounds, so Dalin likely lifted a few hundred as he raised the wheel off his father.
The teen has helped Matthew with repairs in the past, Desiree said, so being out there on that Monday evening was not unusual. The accident happened as Matthew was trying to loosen a rotor from the brake.
“I knew he was stuck because he made a really, really, really scary noise like his soul was leaving his body, and that’s when I knew I had to do something,” Dalin said.
Matthew said he is still sore from his injuries but grateful that he escaped something worse. “I’m glad that my son was there to help me out. He’s my hero. He always will be my hero.”
The family posed for photos with Bairos and the other four council members. And the mayor suggested a career path for Dalin.
“I can see you working in the police or fire to serve and protect our communities,” she said.
This story was originally published December 20, 2022 at 12:07 PM.
