Grandma of 2 dies after saving grandson from being hit by oncoming car

A grandmother in Ohio is being remembered as a hero after sacrificing her life to save her young grandson. 52-year-old Laura J. Hammond of Mount Sterling, Ohio, died after saving her grandson from being hit by a car.

The tragic accident happened around 10 a.m. on Feb. 27 in Circleville, when authorities received a 911 call about a vehicle that had veered off the road on Walnut Creek Pike, the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

When deputies arrived, they found a crashed 2025 Nissan Sentra that had slammed into a tree. Nearby, a woman was lying on the ground with severe injuries. Officials later identified her as Laura J. Hammond, 52, from Mount Sterling.

Investigators say the car drove off the road and through two yards before reaching a driveway where Hammond and a child were outside. The vehicle struck a parked 2022 Chevrolet Equinox and hit Hammond, pinning her between the two cars.

Just seconds before the crash, Hammond made a split-second decision that likely saved a life. According to authorities, she moved her grandson — the child — out of the way of the vehicle.

“Laura actually picked up the child and tossed him,” Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office Capt. John Strawser told CBS affiliate WBNS. “She took the brunt of the vehicle” after throwing the boy to safety.