Moment of the harrowing rescue.
Photo: Capture @YonkersPD / Courtesy
David Poncurak, a drunk driver, caused a dramatic accident in Yonkers (NY), hitting a parked car and then entering a hair salon, causing a baby to be trapped under his vehicle.
Miraculously the frenetic scene, captured by security videos and body cameras, did not end in tragedy thanks to the quick action of two cops who happened to be having breakfast nearby.
The two police officers became superheroes by releasing the 8-month-old baby immobilized under the drunk driver’s car. “We have a baby under the vehicle!” “Someone has to get it out!” “Grab the baby!” “Go. Come on! ”Officers Paul Samoyedny and Rocco Fusco are heard shouting in English in footage released by the Yonkers Police Department.
“I have the baby,” one of the policemen finally says, lifting the little girl under the 2005 Hyundai Elantra that caused the accident around 8:30 am on Friday the 23rd.
It all started when Poncurak (43) was driving out of control and crashed into a parked car on Lake Avenue and struck an unsuspecting mother crossing the street with her 8-month-old baby. They were both dragged through a store before the vehicle finally stopped inside a hair salon.
Several passersby rushed to help along with the officers they were in the store having breakfast at a bagel shop next door. The 36-year-old mother suffered a femur fracture and the baby suffered a skull fracture and burns third degree on the back and foot. Both were hospitalized in stable condition. Poncurak, a resident of Yonkers, was charged with drunk driving, aggravated operation without a license, and vehicular assault, said the police.
“It is always a tragedy when someone is injured by reckless and criminal acts from someone else and that is only amplified when the injured include a baby, ”Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller said in a statement praising the team’s effort.
“Fortunately, two veteran Yonkers’ officers were having breakfast next door and quickly took action together with community members to rescue a girl trapped under the vehicle and help her mother. The actions taken are nothing less than heroic, “added the commissioner, quoting New York Post. The shocking images can be seen here. Caution is advised.
Yonkers Police Officers and Bystanders Rescue Infant From Under a Vehicle!!
Surveillance and body camera footage capturing the rescue of an infant trapped under a vehicle and rendering aid to her mother after an accident!!https://t.co/iqGNzerPNQ#yonkerspd @CityofYonkers pic.twitter.com/DldJbInwt6
— Yonkers Police HQ (@YonkersPD) July 24, 2021
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.