Inspired by heroes who saved her life, Norwood teen aspires to be first responder

Inspired by the first responders who saved her life nearly eight years ago, a Norwood teen is heading to college this fall to study criminal justice and become a police officer.

In Sept. 2015, 10-year-old Alex Nicholls was walking hand-in-hand with her father Jason in the parking lot of Roche Bros. in West Roxbury when an 87-year-old driver unknowingly struck her and dragged her several feet.

An off-duty firefighter dropped his groceries and sprang into action, turning off the car that was on top of Alex and helping her dad, as well as a doctor and some other Good Samaritans, lift the vehicle off her.

Shortly after the accident, Boston 25 News met Alex while she was recovering at Children’s Hospital with a sprained ankle, a chipped tooth and road rash all over her body. She would spend about a month in a wheelchair and another few weeks on crutches.

Young Alex shared her gratitude for the off-duty firefighters and arriving EMTs who not only treated but also comforted her.

“Thank you for everything,” she said from her hospital room with her Barbie doll at her side. “I’m really grateful.”

Eight years later, that gratitude hasn’t waned. Boston 25 News reunited with Alex at her Norwood home where she moved with her family after the accident.

“I feel like I probably shouldn’t have made it, but I did, so I feel pretty lucky,” Alex said. “After [the accident], I kind of knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to go into the [police] force and be able to help people, like how the EMTs and fire firefighters did with me that day.”

Last week, Alex, now 17 years old, graduated with honors from Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton. She will attend Dean College in the fall and plans to study criminal justice.

While Alex’s father hopes she chooses a path that is safer and less stressful, he knows she will succeed at whatever she does.

“The fact that the first responders were so great with her, from the firefighter to the EMTs, really changed her life,” Jason Nicholls said. “She looks up to them, and she wants to do it.”

He also understands his daughter’s desire to honor the people who saved her life.

“Had it not been for that off-duty firefighter, I wouldn’t have a daughter today,” he said. “I’m just so happy my daughter’s alive. I mean, she’s scarred for life, but I’m just so happy she’s here. I walk by her bed every day and thank God.”

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