Snohomish County Machinist Honored as 'Real Hero' by Red Cross

MONROE – It happened in the blink of an eye, like so many accidents do.

David Robinson, a Machinists Union member from Lake Stevens, was crossing U.S. Highway 2 at a crosswalk, holding his then-3-year-old granddaughter in his arms. A sports utility vehicle made a right turn and came through the crosswalk.

With only a split second to react, Robinson lifted his granddaughter, named Angel, over his head to protect her from the blow.

“I just remember pushing her up and out of the way,” he said later. “I knew there was no stopping that vehicle from hitting me.”

For his quick thinking and selflessness, Robinson was honored by the Snohomish County Red Cross in December as one the recipients of its annual Real Heroes awards.

The accident, which occurred last April, left Robinson hospitalized for nearly a week, and in a wheelchair for more than a month. He still walks with a limp, after sustaining a fractured skull, two broken legs, a broken bone around his right eye socket and internal injuries.

The union member, who works as a functional test mechanic for the Boeing Co. in Everett, was off work for more than four months.

Yet his effort to spare his granddaughter succeeded. She landed on top of her grandfather, breaking her fall. She was taken to the hospital for observation, but her only injury was “a little bruise on her bottom,” Robinson said.

“Angel is a pretty special little girl,” he said.

Robinson is a member of District Lodge 751 of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers. Originally formed in 1935 to represent hourly workers at Boeing, District 751 now represents more than 31,000 working men and women across Washington, Oregon and California.

Read more District 751 news at the Machinists News.