\n[post_page_title]A day like any other[\/post_page_title]
\nThe day in question must have seemed like it was going to be a day like no other – early risers stopping at the drive-thru and piling into the restaurant to grab some breakfast on their way to their jobs or to school.
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\nFor McDonald’s worker Pedro, it probably just seemed like a normal day of employment behind the counter, listening for the crackle of the intercom and scribbling down the order. We highly doubt he had any clue he would be hailed a hero before this fateful day was over.
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\n[post_page_title]McDonald’s – a view of Americana[\/post_page_title]
\nMcDonald\u2019s might be one of the biggest corporations in the world, but we also imagine it\u2019s a fascinating place to work. Being an employee of the Golden Arches can bring you into contact with a lot of different people from all walks of life.
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\nEmployees like Pedro could be serving food to hungry Americans at any time of day or night, so he had a window into their world – a chance to witness different ways of life from behind the counter.
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\n[post_page_title]Who is Pedro?[\/post_page_title]
\nSo, who is Pedro Viloria? Well, to his parents, we imagine, he\u2019s simply \u2018Pedro.\u2019 To his friends, perhaps he\u2019s \u2018Viloria?\u2019 To his colleagues at the McDonald\u2019s branch in Doral, Miami he was likely both those and more. As a co-worker, friend, confidante, and employee, he was a member of the team.
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\nThe public probably didn\u2019t pay him much mind, aside from when they were ordering food from him. However, this particular Tuesday would be the last day on which that would ever be the case for Pedro.
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\n[post_page_title]Model employee[\/post_page_title]
\nLike many young Americans these days, we imagine Pedro had been looking for work for quite a while before settling on employment at McDonald\u2019s. This was probably a major drive for him to take the role seriously and really give it his all.
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\nFrom what we hear, Viloria was considered to be a model employee at the restaurant. When he first joined it took him a while to acclimate, but once he had become comfortable with his position, the management were very impressed with him.
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\n[post_page_title]Early shifts[\/post_page_title]
\nAfter securing employment at the Miami-based McDonald\u2019s, Pedro eventually found himself on the early shifts. We\u2019re unsure if this was a result of the rota, whether he was employed for this shift, or if he had requested it.
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\nHowever, it is seems that the morning shift presents a lot of opportunity to learn more, as a result of the busy flow of customers, as well as giving employees like Pedro a view into how the Miami people function on an early-morning basis.
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\n[post_page_title]Expect the unexpected[\/post_page_title]
\nNow, we accept that working in McDonald\u2019s is hardly the sort of edge-of-your-seat job where you\u2019re wrestling with nature\u2019s awesome power on a daily basis. However, if there\u2019s one thing we\u2019ve learned from life, it\u2019s that you shouldn\u2019t take anything for granted.
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\nAlways expect the unexpected, and do as much as you can to prepare for any events that come your way. This is exactly what Pedro would have to do before his shift had come to a close.
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\n[post_page_title]Drive-thru mayhem[\/post_page_title]
\nAnybody who has used the McDonald\u2019s drive-thru before will know how busy and chaotic it can get at the best of times. We can only imagine how busy the drive-thru gets on a busy weekday morning.
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\nThe mayhem of car horns, screaming children, fast-paced orders, and hungry diners must be pretty overwhelming. So, it is important to understand the kind of stress and pressure that Pedro and his team were most likely under when the morning would take an unexpected turn.
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\n[post_page_title]Taking the order[\/post_page_title]
\nAn order flashed through, and Pedro probably thought nothing of it. Just a regular order for a regular customer and he likely thought the same as a female customer pulled up to the window in her SUV, hungry children in the back seat.
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\nPedro packed her food into the bag as he would any other day, and prepared to hand it through the window to the hungry family members. However, as he bent forward, CCTV footage shows us that something stopped him in his tracks.
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\n[post_page_title]Hearing screams[\/post_page_title]
\nIt was only then that Pedro realized something was not quite right. There were sounds of distress coming from inside as the twin children were screaming for their mother. Looking into the front of the car, Pedro noticed that the mother had passed out at the wheel.
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\nHe told Inside Edition that the kids were screaming, \u201cMom, what are you doing?! Mom, stop!\u201d It was then that he realized something was very wrong, and as the car moved past the window without stopping. He had to act fast.
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\n[post_page_title]Springing into action[\/post_page_title]
\nThis is one of these scenarios that you might imagine yourself in and, wonder what you would do if it were you? Well, hopefully, if this does ever happen, you will be as cool and calm about it as Pedro.
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\nQuickly realizing what was happening, camera footage shows Pedro jumping through the open window of the drive-thru booth and racing down the path in pursuit of the car. The car was rolling away from the restaurant and toward the road, and the mother was unconscious at the wheel.
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\n[post_page_title]Stopping the car[\/post_page_title]
\nFortunately, the car was not moving at a fast speed, and so Pedro was able to run and catch up with it. We wonder what must have been going through his head at that moment, with the adrenaline running through his body.
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\nSpeaking to NBC Miami, Pedro said, \u201cI ran as fast as I could and just put myself in front of the car.\u201d Fortunately, with the help of one of the restaurant guests, Pedro was able to use the curb to stop the car rolling into traffic.
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\n[post_page_title]Savior[\/post_page_title]
\nIt\u2019s fair to suggest that every person in the car has Pedro to thank for their lives! It must have been very scary for the children to know that something was wrong with their mother and that there was nothing they could do about it.
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\nIt\u2019s not every day something like this happens, but luckily, quick-thinking Pedro was the hero of the hour and managed to prevent an accident from occurring. What\u2019s more, the woman and her children would be in safe hands just moments later.
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\n[post_page_title]Officer down[\/post_page_title]
\nThe scariest thing is that it transpired the woman in the car was an off-duty police officer. A lot of people probably view police officers as heroes, as many just assume they are always going to be there to help others. It is rare to imagine a police officer needing to be saved by a regular citizen.
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\nThis makes Pedro\u2019s heroic actions even more important, and even more impressive. We\u2019re sure he has made friends for life among the policing community.
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\n[post_page_title]Helping hands[\/post_page_title]
\nIt turns out that, if you were going to be in a situation that required medical help, this was the day, time, and location to do it. It turns out that two other customers worked for the emergency services as well! One was a paramedic, and the other was a firefighter.
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\nThe two of them, working with another Doral police officer, managed to get the woman breathing again before the mother was transported to hospital in critical condition.
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\n[post_page_title]Rushed to hospital[\/post_page_title]
\nBeing taken to hospital was most likely a scary experience for the off-duty cop, but it was definitely the right call. Something wasn\u2019t right with her, and it was clear she required urgent medical assistance pretty much immediately.
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\nIt is unknown as of yet what sort of emergency the woman had faced, but it was clear her life was almost certainly in danger. If it hadn\u2019t been for Pedro\u2019s quick thinking, this may not even have been a possibility.
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\n[post_page_title]A hero\u2019s welcome[\/post_page_title]
\nWe would love to have been a fly on the wall in that McDonald\u2019s when Pedro showed up for his shift the next day! We can only imagine the young man received a hero\u2019s welcome, alongside a well-deserved pay rise.
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\nHis boss, Alex Menendez released a statement praising Pedro, where he states how Pedro had always been a key employee so wasn\u2019t surprised he took action. A second unnamed employee also helped the woman with CPR.
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\n[post_page_title]Recovery[\/post_page_title]
\nWe can\u2019t be sure of how long the mother and police officer spent in hospital. However, reports say that the woman made a full recovery. With two kids at home, and the population of Miami to help protect, we are certainly glad this officer is going to be back on duty sometime soon.
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\nWe hope that she is out of hospital now and recuperating nicely. As for Pedro, well, hopefully, he\u2019ll have some sort of medal winging its way to him.
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\n[post_page_title]Children get their mom back[\/post_page_title]
\nThis is one of those great feel-good stories that comes packaged with a happy ending we maybe weren\u2019t expecting. After what seemed like a tragedy waiting to happen, things actually ended as well as they could have, and we will be seeing the children get their mother back safe and sound, hopefully any day now!
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\nOf all the shifts Pedro has had at McDonald\u2019s we\u2019re willing to bet that\u2019s the happiest of meals he\u2019s ever served up.
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\n[post_page_title]Honored by the Mayor[\/post_page_title]
\nIn fact, his heroics spread all across the city (and state), and, as you can see from the picture, Pedro was hot news that day – quite rightly too! We bet his whole family was proud of him, and we think he\u2019s earned a well-deserved vacay.
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\nHowever, before having a chance to do that, Viloria was actually honored by the Mayor of Miami-Dade. Carlos A. Gimenez presented the young man at a ceremony on the Friday. You deserve it, Pedro!
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\n[post_page_title]Employee of the month[\/post_page_title]
\nPedro\u2019s manager told the world how he was an excellent employee and that he worked hard and diligently. Well, if that was before this miraculous story, we can only imagine how high his stock is now.
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\nWe\u2019re willing to be that Employee of the Month Award is probably filled for the next few months at least. Though, to their credit, his co-workers at the restaurant seem pretty stoked about it as well.
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\n[post_page_title]Heroes can be found anywhere[\/post_page_title]
\nWe have learned so much from the story of Pedro Viloria. Of course, this was not his full story, but only a snapshot of one particular day. However, we have certainly been moved and inspired by this young man, and he has shown us the good in people.
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\nThere is such negativity and bad stuff in the news these days that it\u2019s so nice to have positive stories like this. Pedro has shown us that human beings can be remarkable sometimes and that heroes don\u2019t always wear a cape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[post_page_title]A day like any other[\/post_page_title] The day in question must have seemed like it was going to be a day like no other – early risers stopping at the drive-thru and piling into the restaurant to grab some breakfast on their way to their jobs or to school. For McDonald’s worker Pedro, it probably just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":69959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n