Alvin employees save young boy after he collapses

ALVIN, Texas (KTRK) -- What began as a broken pipe and sinkhole repair in Alvin turned into an answer to a frantic mom's prayers last Thursday. She needed help, and it came in the form of two city public works employees.

13-year-old Michael Evans had brain surgery last month to control his epileptic seizures, which he had on average, every four days. The seizures stopped after the operation, until five days ago.

Michael felt well enough to shoot some hoops in his driveway. "I saw him," said mother Pam Evans. "I took some water to him, and that's when I saw one of his arms go up and he started to fall backward."

Michael had a seizure. His mother broke his fall, but she needed help.

Across the street, James Wallette and Javier Lopez had noticed Michael playing in the driveway earlier. "I saw him, and thought I'd like to be shooting hoops," said Wallette.

When he looked toward the Evans' house again, he saw the teenager on the driveway, and his mother cradling his head.

Javier Lopez saw it, too. "He was having a seizure, and we ran to help."

The public works operator and supervisor asked if they need to call an ambulance. Instead, Pam Evans asked them to hold her son's head while she ran inside to get towels and his medication. "We turned him on his side, in case he started to choke," Wallette said.

Michael is tall, and as his mom describes it, is a 'dead weight' when he has to be carried. Too much for her to carry, which is where Wallette and Lopez came in handy. Michael's seizure ended, but he wasn't fully conscious. "I'm short," laughed Lopez, "so we put his arms around both our shoulders, and grabbed his legs."

The teenager didn't need to go to the hospital, but he did need to lie down, and the two works made that possible.

Since that day, Wallette and Lopez both wondered how Michael and his mom were. Today, they arranged a visit, after Pam Evans wrote on Facebook of the strangers who came to Michael's rescue.

Michael shook their hands, and thanked them, although his memory of the event is hazy. His mom took a picture to capture the moment.

"What really got to me," said Wallette, "is that his mother said he'd been watching up as we worked before all that happened, and told her he wanted to take some bottles of water to us. Just think, he wanted to help us, and we wound up helping him."

He also hopes it will give people a different perspective on public works crews. "We may block roads for traffic repairs, and frustrate drivers, but underneath it all, we just people with families of our own, and we care about people."

Pam Evans saw that firsthand. She prayed for help and it arrived, in city uniforms. "It is priceless. I know that God put them in that place at that time."