6 Men Lift Van Off Baby Run Over In Stroller

Published: July 12, 2006 | 4456th good news item since 2003

A 1-year-old girl who was being wheeled in her stroller by her grandmother was hit by a painter’s van and dragged for about a block Tuesday, authorities said.

Oakland Park Fire-Rescue Department officials said Gerson Palma Aguilar, 22, the driver of the EJ Painting Inc. van was attempting to make a right turn onto Commercial Boulevard from Northeast First Terrace when he hit Florencia Ortega, 55, knocking her to the ground. The stroller, holding Jennifer Marisol Romero, somehow became lodged under the van as it continued more than 80 yards, according to police.

Six men who witnessed the crash were able to lift the van up to remove the toddler from the mangled pink stroller that was lodged under the vehicle.

Wayne Ackerson, one of the men who helped, said, “We stopped traffic and grabbed every big guy that we saw and just picked up the front of the van and took the little baby out. There was a little girl here, I don’t know where she went but she actually pulled the baby out and we got her over here.”

Investigators said they didn’t believe Aguilar had any idea the girl’s stroller was caught.

Authorities said grandmother and child appeared to be returning from a grocery store, as evidenced by the groceries strewn about the street. Aguilar might not have been able to see them because there was a storage container at the corner, but police are still investigating.

The girl, who is almost two years old, was taken by ambulance to Broward General Medical Center. She was conscious when transported and was listed in stable condition.

Published in Rescues
See also: www.local10.com