Father Determined to Save His Kids “With God’s Help”

Sometimes the "Florida man" headline actually belongs to someone who deserves praise.

On Father's Day, Dominique Woods had just finished attending church when he stopped at a Walmart in Port St. Lucie, Florida, to pick up food for a family cookout. He had his three young children with him—a 4-year-old, a 3-year-old, and a 1-year-old—and what should have been a routine stop suddenly turned into every parent's nightmare.

According to WPBF-TV, Woods' oldest child accidentally hit the truck's door lock button just after climbing out of the vehicle. Woods didn't realize his keys were still inside until the door closed behind his son.

"My son climbed to the front of the truck to get out, and I didn't realize I didn't have my keys on me until he got out of the truck and closed the door," Woods explained. "But as he was coming out, his hands were on the door, and he hit the lock button unknowingly."

He immediately tried the rear doors, hoping one had remained unlocked. They hadn't.

The situation escalated quickly. Temperatures that day were around 94 degrees, and the truck began heating up almost immediately.

"Just the two minutes in the truck, they were sweating really badly," Woods recalled.

His two younger children were becoming increasingly distressed.

"She was freaking out, the baby was crying, and I know she just wanted us to come in there and get her," he said.

With no tool available to break the glass, Woods made a split-second decision that many parents would understand. He wasn't thinking about replacing a window or the injury he might suffer. He was thinking about getting his children out before the heat became even more dangerous.

"I was like, you know what, my fist will probably work, and I just went to town on the window."

He punched the glass repeatedly. On the third strike, it shattered.

Woods reached inside, unlocked the vehicle, and got all three children out safely.

The rescue came at a cost. His hand was badly cut from smashing the window, and he later required emergency medical treatment.

Even so, he never questioned whether it was the right decision.

"In that particular time, you're not worried about the cuts," Woods said. "You're not worried about, really, the outcome of yourself, but the outcome of the children."

He also credited his faith for giving him the strength to act.

"I think God was over me and making sure I had the power to get through this window to get my kids."

Medical experts have long warned that children are especially vulnerable to heat inside vehicles because their body temperatures rise much faster than those of adults. Even a few minutes in a hot car can become dangerous, making Woods' quick response critical.

Following the incident, Woods' wife created a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the unexpected expenses, including his ambulance ride, emergency room treatment, and replacing the shattered truck window.

"We are incredibly grateful that our children are safe and that this frightening accident did not end in tragedy," she wrote. "Our 4-year-old had no idea what he had done, and accidents happen."

She added that the family now faces significant costs stemming from the emergency and thanked supporters for any assistance. By Thursday evening, the fundraiser had collected more than $4,000.