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WNCT
Gryffin Sanders and his four-year-old brother were getting a lift from their elderly relative when she suddenly lost consciousness.
"I tried to wake her up at first," said the schoolboy to Colorado's 9 News.
"My first thought was actually, is this a test or what?"
Gryffin instinctively lunged for the wheel in an attempt to divert the car away from danger.
"I wanted us to get somewhere where we could out of the way of traffic."
Despite travelling at 60mph and heading into oncoming traffic, Gryffin kept his cool, and managed to steer the car into a muddy ditch, bringing it safely to a standstill.
While the US media have called the child a hero, Gryffin himself credits his quick reactions to the Nintendo game Mario Kart, which sees players racing wayward go-karts in a variety of bizarre situations.
"And, I'm pretty good at go kart driving," Gryffin added, in a WNCT news report.
His grandmother was airlifted to hospital and has since recovered from a suspected mild heart attack. No one else was injured.
The case certainly is a contrast to the usual media coverage given to video games - often painting them as dangerous to children's development. Do you think video games are a positive or negative influence on young people? Have your say below.