Disabled boy, 8, praised for saving dad's life

An eight-year-old boy who lives with a disability has been praised for saving the life of his dad who had slipped into a diabetic coma.

Durham Police said Tyler gave the 999 call handler "vital information", while also keeping his four-year-old sister calm, after dad Jamie Miller became seriously ill at home.

Tyler has Global Developmental Delay, meaning he has "the mind of a four-year-old", his parents explained, as well as having a speech delay.

Durham Police's neighbourhood team decided to reward Tyler with a "VIP experience", as he is "police-obsessed".

When emergency services arrived they found Mr Miller, who has type 1 diabetes, unconscious on the floor and "hardly breathing".

The 37-year-old had to spend a week in hospital but has since recovered and was said to be "doing well at home".

PC Jordan McGregor, who was first on the scene, said: "Tyler is very enthusiastic about the police, but was apprehensive that he may be in trouble for contacting the police when he did, so he deserves extra credit for that too."

As a reward, officer picked Tyler up from school for a ride in the police car last week and he was presented with gifts donated by a local Tesco branch.

Mum Samantha explained Tyler's dad had been ill once before due to his condition and they decided to teach him how to call for help.

She said: "It's not something I expected he'd be able to do so we're super proud."

She added she was "even more impressed" he had managed to raise the alarm despite his disability and speech delay.

Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Daniel Beardmore said Tyler "no doubt" saved his dad's life.

He added: "We all need more Tylers in the world and we hope he and his whole family have a fantastic Christmas."

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