Moment cops and bystanders lift car off eight-month-old girl who was trapped after drunk driver smashed into her and her mom in New York
- An eight-month-old baby and her mother were hit by a car on Friday morning
- They were crossing a street in Yonkers when a drunk, unlicensed driver hit them
- The pair were carried on the hood of the car and smashed into a barber’s shop
- Two police officers having breakfast nearby rushed to the scene to help
- The pair coordinated lifting the car to free the trapped baby
- ‘Very strong mom and an even stronger little infant,’ said Officer Rocco Fusco
An eight-month-old baby was rescued by police officers and bystanders who worked together to lift a car that she was trapped beneath.
The child and her mother were hit by the car in Yonkers when a suspected drunken driver came around the corner on Friday and smashed into them as they were crossing the road.
The 36-year-old mother and her baby were carried on the hood of the car as it plowed into a barber’s shop.
The mother was hurled from the car, but her daughter became trapped underneath.
Yonkers police officers Rocco Fusco and Paul Samoyedy had been having breakfast nearby and rushed to the scene.
Body camera footage from the two police officers shows the moment the car crashed into the barber’s shop, and bystanders frantically worked to lift it off the trapped child
The blue car swerved round the corner, hit a white parked car, and then smashed into the 36-year-old woman who was crossing the road
The out-of-control car plowed into a barber’s shop, with the mother and child trapped beneath
‘It’s honestly a miracle that both of them survived – very strong mom and an even stronger little infant,’ said Fusco, speaking to ABC News.
He helped the mother get clear of the wreckage and Samoyedy, a 15-year veteran of the force, is then seen pulling the eight-month-old from underneath the vehicle.
‘I got, I got it, I got the baby,’ he is heard saying in the video.
Body camera footage shows the pair frantically working with bystanders to lift the heavily damaged car and pull the crying baby from beneath it.
Police and bystanders lifted the crumpled car to free the trapped mother and child
Rocco Fusco, one of the Yonkers police officers, said it was ‘a miracle’ the baby survived
The baby, with a Mini Mouse dress, is seen being lifted clear from the wreckage
Fusco said that the mother and child were incredibly strong to survive their ordeal
David Poncurack, 43, was unlicensed and has been charged with driving while intoxicated
‘Luckily, two veteran officers of Yonkers’ finest just happened to be getting breakfast next door and quickly took action along with members of the community to rescue a child trapped under the vehicle and render aid to her mother,’ Police Commissioner John Mueller said in a news release.
‘The actions taken are nothing short of heroic.’
The baby sustained a skull fracture and burns to her back and foot.
Her 36-year-old mother broke a leg, the news release said.
The driver, David Poncurack, 43, was unlicensed.
He was arrested at the scene and charged with driving while intoxicated.
‘The driver did get out and immediately went over to see if the woman was OK,’ Samoyedy said.
He and a female passenger were not injured. The mother and baby are expected to make a full recovery.
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