Suburban father credits 7-year-old daughter with saving his life after fall

LYNWOOD, Ill. (WLS) -- A remarkable 7-year-old girl is being hailed as a hero after her quick thinking and calm response helped get her dad the medical assistance he needed.

"It was, like, a little scary," Mia Dates said.

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It happened Wednesday night.

Dates' mom was at work. So, she was home alone with her father, Xavier, when the unexpected happened.

"I was coming down these flight of stairs, right here," he said.

The 41-year-old railroad conductor says he somehow lost his footing while going down the stairs, slamming his head on the steps and quickly losing consciousness.

"I missed a foot or something and fell and hit my head here," Xavier Dates said.

Composed beyond her years, his daughter sprang into action to help get her father out of a perilous situation. When Dates saw her dad on the ground, she ran to the phone and called 911. She stayed on the line with a dispatcher, and let the paramedics in when they arrived.

"He needed to go to a hospital where he could get better. I'm glad the ambulance helped him," she said.

The village's mayor along with the police and fire chief came by to praise Dates for her good deed.

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"I read the notes from dispatch call. When you called, you were calm. You were collect, you gave a number. You gave an address; you stayed on the phone with the dispatcher the whole time till they got somebody here, so that alone save somebody," Lynwood Fire Chief Lashaun Alston said.

Dates, who loves gymnastics and swimming, is a first-grader at a private school in the south suburbs.

She says she learned about calling 911 from her mom.

Her doting father says he's so proud of his daughter, and credits her with saving his life.

"Mia is a smart girl and brave," Xavier Dates said.

The whole experience has had a lasting impact on the girl, who shared advice with others who may find themselves in a similar situation.

"I was brave," Mia Dates said.

Dates is now quite a celebrity. She will be honored at an upcoming City Council meeting.

There, she'll not only meet the paramedics that helped her dad but also be celebrated by city officials.