It turned out that at that very moment, while the parents were frantic with fear, their son could barely stay on his feet.

Ethan, exhausted and frozen, collapsed at the side of the road, unable to take another step. He was noticed by chance by a passing driver.

The man stopped, saw the child lying in the snow, covered the boy with his jacket, and drove him to the nearest hospital.

Doctors later said that if help had arrived even a little later, the consequences could have been irreversible.

News of the incident spread instantly. First, neighbors and parents of schoolchildren began talking about it, then journalists joined in.

Ethan’s story was shown on television, discussed in the news and on social media, and people did not hide either their anger or their concern.

The public reaction was so strong that the issue was raised at the state level.

The case reached discussion in the State Duma, where people spoke about children’s safety in public transport and the responsibility of adults for purely formal decisions.

For Ethan’s parents, that day will forever remain the most terrifying of their lives, a reminder of how easily indifference can put a child’s fate at risk.