A Colorado mother and her baby were saved by quick-thinking police officers who recruited bystanders to help lift a car off the duo after they were struck while crossing the street.
KDVR reports Kipinga Muanza Kalala was crossing the Aurora street with her three children when they were hit by a car. Kalala and her 2-year-old daughter Angela were pinned under the vehicle.
Sgt. Matt Brukbacher told KDVR he knew when he arrived on the scene he had to act fast to save the mother and daughter's lives.
“I figured if we didn’t get the car off of them immediately there would be some issues with breathing and I don’t know if they would have survived, so I kind of hollered at some of the folks from around and I said, ‘Hey, let’s get this car up,’” he said.
Several bystanders jumped in to help lift the car, including Jeff Simpson and his 16-year-old step-daughters.
“(Brukbacher) counted to three and we just got the car right up off of her,” Simpson told KDVR.
“We lifted that like it was nothing,” Brukbacher told the station. “I mean it went up almost all the way up.”
Both Kalala and her daughter are expected to recover. Kalala was severely injured with head wounds and several broken bones, and Angela suffered burns, severe lacerations and abrasions. The woman’s two other children were not hurt.
The driver of the car is not expected to face any charges, as police say the woman and her children were crossing the street where there was no crosswalk.
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