Sitting in the hospital Thursday night, Tammy Kilborne knew who her hero was: her 15-year-old son.

NEW HARTFORD — Sitting in the hospital Thursday night, Tammy Kilborne knew who her hero was: her 15-year-old son.

The 43-year-old woman and her son Gage Kilborne were driving to Colgate University earlier that day for a swimming training event. They only made it a fraction of the way when she suddenly fell unconscious at the wheel.

During an interview at her home Friday, she credits her son with saving their lives and preventing what could have been a fatal accident.

An official from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Friday that at 4:37 p.m. April 13, they were called to assist with a car in a ditch off Route 12 near Crown Hill Memorial Park in Clinton. The official said their investigation is ongoing.

Kilborne said she had a seizure — something she’s controlled successfully for the past five years with medication — and the quick-thinking of her son got them safely off the road when she became unconscious.

“Gage had the common sense, the quick response and courage to take the steering wheel and to steer us across the road, avoiding any oncoming traffic,” she said tearfully. “We came to a ‘soft’ landing in a ditch. We were going 55 miles-per-hour.”

Gage Kilborne, a freshman at Ralph Perry Junior High School and a member of its swim team, said he became aware that something was wrong with his mother when the car took a fast turn and began to drift into the opposite lane of traffic. He looked over and saw her hands come off the wheel. She wasn't responding to her name, causing him to reach over and yank on the wheel, guiding it through the opposite lane and into the ditch.

He said he focused on keeping his emotions in check while flagging down a passing car and calling first-responders and family members. He said he didn't become aware of the enormity of his actions until his Boy Scout leader texted his father after he learned of the incident, telling him he was a hero.

"I was trying to hold all my emotions together, I was walking around frantically," he said. "My dad picked up after I texted him that mom had a seizure while driving and we crashed into a ditch. I remember he picked up and I just started crying afterward. I just let it all out."

"Every parent knows that their kids are above and beyond in some respects but he's just remarkable," she said to her son. "The fact that we're still here is due to you."

Follow @OD_Parker on Twitter or call her at 315-792-5063.