LAREDO, Texas – A 1-year-old boy and his car seat went flying out of a moving car, onto a Texas roadway Wednesday afternoon and the entire ordeal was captured on a driver's dashcam.
The gut-wrenching clip shows the moment the baby and his car seat fell out of the SUV as the driver turned right onto a Laredo street. Motorists in the busy intersection block the viewer's sight of the baby before the child is seen running into the arms of a stranger who was driving behind the SUV in which the child was riding.
Claudia Alanis, the driver who caught the incident on camera said she was headed back to work from lunch when she saw the situation unfold.
"When we started pulling forward, we got to a red light and there were some cars passing by -- the second vehicle in the video shows the door opening as soon as they're making a small turn, and mid turn the door flew open," Alanis said. "The kid fell out along with his car seat a few steps away from him and (drivers in the area) noticed right away that the baby had fallen out."
Fortunately, the motorists behind the SUV saw the child in the street and stopped. At least one person got out of their car to help the child. Alanis said she began honking to get other drivers' attention.
"(The baby) just ran into the stranger's arms," Alanis said. "The woman on the passenger's side, I believe is the mom, got (out) of the vehicle crying and ran toward the baby."
Police cited 26-year-old Jocelyn Nicole Hernandez for having an unrestrained child younger than 4 in the car and the 1-year-old was treated at the scene for scrapes sustained from the fall.
A DPS Trooper who was nearby also witnessed the incident and helped the family.
The case remains under investigation.
(Below) Jennifer Northway of University Health System demonstrates the proper way to install a car seat. Northway also says why car seats are important and why only using a seat belt is dangerous.
After this week’s tragic accident that left three people dead, including two children, Jennifer Northway with University Health System demonstrates the proper way to install car seat. She also discussed why they are important and why only using a seat belt is dangerous.
Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Saturday, September 10, 2016
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