Teenage girl demonstrates courage.(Brittany Thrower)

It was a tragic case of an inexperienced teen driving beyond her capabilities. Megan Pevehouse-Sharpe, 16, asked her friend, Brittany Thrower, also 16, if she could drive Brittany's car. She assured Brittany she could drive a stick shift and got Brittany's go-ahead, but the results proved disastrous. Three Beulah, Alabama, girls set off, with Megan driving, Brittany in the passenger seat, and Megan's younger sister, Kayla, 14, riding in the back.

It soon became obvious to Brittany that Megan had much to learn about shifting. She described what happened to the Opelika-Auburn [Alabama] News: "Megan would look down every time she'd change gears and the car would go to the right some. Well, the last time she changed gears she snatched the car a little too far and we went off the bridge."

When the car landed at the bottom of a 12-foot streambed, Brittany was seriously injured. She related: "As soon as the car stopped I tried to get out but both of my legs were broken and my wrist was broken." She was worried for herself and her friends. "I couldn't really move myself and I couldn't hear them talking, but I tried calling their names."

Megan did not respond, but Brittany noticed movement coming from Kayla. She searched for her cellphone and finally found it on the floor of the car, under Megan. Brittany then crawled out of the car and partially up the bank--despite her broken legs and wrist--to get into a position where she could get a phone signal. She got through to 911 dispatchers, but the ambulance had trouble finding the girls. Brittany continued: "It seemed like I was down ...