One young girl was forced to make a choice between breaking traffic laws or saving the life of her family who were trapped in a fire. The fire broke out at Ruwaidah's family home on Aug. 7 where she managed to escape unharmed with her mother, father and sisters. Her father however rushed back into the burning house to save Ruwaidah's brothers, Mohammad and Hasan, Al-Riyadh reported. After her father found the boys, they were trapped by the fire and were forced to walk over the burning floor in order to escape. They managed to escape but they suffered second degree burns to their feet, smoke inhalation and were weak from a lack of oxygen. Ruwaidah said she called the Red Crescent and the Civil Defense for help but waiting for them to arrive meant she had to put her family's life on the line. “Ruwaidah made the bold decision to take the car keys out of my thobe pocket so she could drive us to the nearest hospital which is only a few minutes away from our home. I am proud of my daughter for her compelling decision to break the law to save our lives,” Ruwaidah's father said. Ruwaidah said she did not regret making the decision to drive her family to the hospital. “I was shaken by the loud screams of my mother and sister but not enough to lose my ability to think logically and make the difficult decision to get behind the wheel myself.” She said road construction was intensifying the situation for her because it was delaying her. “As if I didn't have enough to worry about, the entire city of Riyadh seemed to be undergoing maintenance work. On top of all this I had to keep my veil on and ignore the looks of people, who thank God did not try and stop me or bother me even though most of them were young men,” she said. Ruwaida's youngest brother was conscious and gave her directions on how to get to the hospital. The father further said that he taught Ruwaidah, her mother and sisters how to drive at their farm in Wadi Al-Dawaser and that he allows them to drive but only in the area. “Breaking the law is out of the question but I understand the circumstances which compelled Ruwaidah to drive. Otherwise, I would have been the first to punish her. I am very proud of her and of her courage in making the difficult decision,” he said. Ruwaidah said she advises everyone she knows to be prepared for any emergencies.
