South Cook News

On October 13, the village of Tinley Falls board honored Reaghan Monahan, a student at Tinley High School, for her quick thinking after her mom had a seizure while driving the two of them on a local expressway. During the seizure her mom’s foot caused the car to accelerate. Reaghan grabbed the wheel to steer the car around to prevent hitting other vehicles. She also maneuvered her way into the driver’s seat to move her mother’s foot and bring the car to a stop on the shoulder of the expressway. At the time, Reaghan only held a driver’s permit.

Reaghan and her mom recently flew to New York City to appear on the Drew Barrymore Show to speak about their harrowing experience. Reaghan spoke about being on the show with the board, meeting Barrymore and the wonderful time she had sharing her story along with her mom.

At the board meeting, Theresa Nolan, Reaghan’s principal at Tinley, spoke about her.

“I’m standing here with Reaghan because anyone that knows her recognizes how shy she is,” said Nolan. “Her celebrity status continues to grow after her heroic actions. The proclamation is so well warranted.”

Reaghan plays volleyball and is a cheerleader at her school. The Drew Berrymore show reached out to a local dealership and surprised her and her mom with a new Jeep Compass since she just received her official driver’s license.