The Massie family’s luck finally may be turning around.

Chuck Massie, 11, will travel to the state Capitol with his family Wednesday to receive an award from Gov. Sonny Perdue, one of six youths from around the state to be honored as a “Georgia 911 Hero” for his actions after a crash Oct. 10.

“We’re so proud of him,” said his dad, Troup County sheriff’s Lt. Rick Massie.

Massie and his wife Tonya praise their son for staying calm and taking care of his 6-year-old sister, Tara Lynn, when they weren’t there to do it.

Chuck and Tara Lynn were in the collision with their grandmother, Joyce Ledford, near their home on Hunt Road. The crash was just two days after Rick Massie was seriously injured while on duty with the sheriff’s department. Ledford was taking the children to Atlanta Medical Center to see their dad when the SUV they were riding in turned over, hitting a tree.

Chuck managed to get his sister out, releasing her from her car seat and catching her before she fell and hit the roof of the car. Ledford was knocked unconscious.

The pair stood on the side of the road, flagging down another vehicle to call 911.

“They said one car just kept on driving, can you believe that?” Rick Massie asked. “Two little kids on the side of the road, a car in the ditch and they keep going.”

Chuck admits to being scared.

“I was scared, but I had to do what I had to do,” the Rosemont Elementary School honor student said. “I couldn’t just leave Tara Lynn in there.”

Between Rick Massie’s job with the sheriff’s department and Tonya Massie’s job as a 911 operator, Chuck has picked up a lot of information regular children his age may not be exposed to.

“We used to be able to talk in 10-codes and phonetic spelling and military time,” his father said. “He figured all that out.”

But along with the lingo of law enforcement, Chuck also was paying attention when his parents stressed other life lessons: stay calm, you can always do something in an emergency, take care of your sister.

The family has always been tight, but Tara Lynn Massie, who the family calls “Turtle,” calls her brother her hero after the crash.

“He doesn’t think it’s a big deal, but to us it is,” Tonya Massie said of her son.

Suzy Noles, 911 supervisor and Tonya Massie’s boss, nominated Chuck for the award. He is one of six Georgia youths to receive the award this year, which is given to children younger than 12 who use 911.

Noles went to the emergency room at West Georgia Medical Center to check on the children when she heard about the crash.

“He was just wonderful,” she said of Chuck. “The nurse asked him a bunch of questions, and the only answer he didn’t know was what was the name of their insurance company.”

While Chuck, Tara Lynn and Ledford have recovered from their injuries, Rick Massie’s road to recovery still does not have an endpoint. He’s had five surgeries on his left knee and left foot and faces up to two more on his knee.

“I haven’t even been to any physical therapy because of the surgeries,” he said. “They want to get through that and evaluate my mobility.”

The sheriff’s department and 911 continue to support Rick and Tonya Massie as he recovers and she cares for him. The family also is grateful to family and friends who have helped in a number of ways since the crash.

“I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else,” Rick Massie said.

Jennifer Shrader may be reached at jshrader@ lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.