What to KnowThe woman and child were thrown from a vehicle along Interstate 30 near Eastchase Parkway on Thursday morning.A police officer found the child trapped underneath an overturned car.Bystanders and police lifted the car long enough to free the trapped child.Police said the child and woman are both expected to make a full recovery.The cause of the crash is not known, and no other injuries have been reported.
Heroic police officers and bystanders are being credited with saving the life of an infant who was found pinned underneath an overturned car after being ejected during a crash along Interstate 30 Thursday morning.
According to the Fort Worth Police Department, Officer Bounds and Sgt. Nichols were sent to a crash near Eastchase Parkway and Cooks Lane, where a woman and an infant had reportedly been involved in a collision and thrown from their car.
Body camera video shared by the police department showed an officer arriving at the scene at about 9:28 a.m. and approaching an overturned Hyundai Veloster. Several bystanders were seen in the area, assisting the injured woman and looking for the missing child.
The officer’s body camera video showed the group concentrating their search under the overturned vehicle. Less than a minute after arriving, the officer moved toward the front of the car and called for help.
“Hey, we need to move the car. I think the baby’s under there,” the officer can be heard saying.
In the video, at least four adults were seen quickly lining up and lifting the overturned car long enough for a police officer to reach under the windshield and drag the unresponsive child to safety.
Police said Nichols began chest compressions while Bounds cleared the baby’s airway. Moments later, the officers reported finding a pulse and the child started making soft noises. As the child slowly regained consciousness, the officers continued providing first aid until MedStar paramedics arrived at about 9:40 a.m.
Fort Worth Police said Friday the woman and child are in stable condition and both are expected to make a full recovery.
“Although this video may be extremely difficult to watch, it is an important example of the kinds of situations that our police officers may come across while performing their duties,” the police department said. “We are beyond proud of the life-saving actions performed by Sgt. Nichols and Officer Bounds for their bravery and quick response to this terrible scene. We are also grateful to the Fort Worth citizens who saw someone in danger and, without hesitation, assisted our officers.”
Police officials did not share details about their injuries or what led to the crash.
Texas law requires children younger than 8 and shorter than 4 feet 9 to be secured in a child passenger safety seat system while in a vehicle. Police did not say whether the woman will face any civil penalties.