UPS driver frees Oak Park boy trapped under 97-pound package

When the doorbell rang at his family’s Oak Park home earlier this month, 4-year-old Max Pratt ran outside to see what had been delivered.

It was a package twice his size — and when he tried to pull it inside, it tipped on top of him.

Luckily, UPS driver Marco Angel had not yet made it back to his truck; he heard Max cry for help and and sprinted back to the house. In seconds, Angel was pulling the 97-pound package off a stunned but otherwise unharmed Max.

“He was scared,” said Max’s mom, Traci Pratt, recalling the April 17 incident. “He knew that he never wanted that to happen again. I think he saw all four of his years flash before his eyes.”

At the time, Pratt said she was upstairs watching Max’s 2-year-old sister, Lily, when she heard noises outside. By the time she carried her daughter downstairs, Pratt said, Angel and Max were standing in the front doorway, looking visibly shaken.

Pratt said she didn’t fully understand what had happened until later that day. That’s when she watched the scene unfold on video recorded by their doorbell camera — and felt a rush of gratitude to Angel for stepping in when he did.

To showcase the act of kindness, Pratt shared the video with the Oak Park Moms Facebook group, and the story quickly spread.

“There’s so much darkness in the world,” Pratt said. “And people, especially coming off the year that we’ve had, just need some bright light. So I wanted to share it with our community.”

Provided

She said the package was her birthday gift from her mother — a hammock meant for relaxation which has instead “caused a lot more chaos and commotion.”

Pratt said Max often lends a hand around the house and likes to bring in packages. But now she and her husband, Geoff, have set down some rules, so Max must ask for help with large, heavy items.

Since the tale of peril and generosity went viral, Pratt said Max is excited to tell everyone how fast and strong Angel is, and looks at the delivery driver as his own personal superhero.

“There’s heroes among us,” Pratt said. “People do take the time to go that extra mile and help each other out.”