dawnmpeters
September 17th, 2009, 01:14 PM
Family members say Veronica Velarde and 4 ½-month-old Grace Hernandez were heading east at West 39th Avenue and Zuni Street when a white Toyota pickup allegedly ran a stop sign and collided with another vehicle.
The pickup then hit a curb and wiped out a tree and two street signs before plowing into the grandmother and stroller, nearly pinning them against a house.
The real heroism emerged after the accident, when fuel began leaking from the overturned pickup.
"My mother smelled the gasoline, so she tried to kick a basement window in to push my baby and the stroller through, in case the truck blew up," Martinez said.
An emotional Martinez told 7NEWS that she shuddered to think what might have happened.
"Losing either one would have been terrible," she said, with tears welling in her eyes. "I don't know what I would have done without my mother or my baby."
The mom said she was grateful to neighbors who heard the crash and came running out to rescue the victims.
"They found Grace's stroller tangled up in the downed tree. She had dirt and leaves in her mouth and glass all over her face, the baby's mom said.
The baby received a few minor cuts on her face and head and was transported to the hospital as a precaution. She's back home now, in her mother's arms.
"My family was protected by the angels above," Martinez said. "And by the family across the street."
More:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/20953804/detail.html
The pickup then hit a curb and wiped out a tree and two street signs before plowing into the grandmother and stroller, nearly pinning them against a house.
The real heroism emerged after the accident, when fuel began leaking from the overturned pickup.
"My mother smelled the gasoline, so she tried to kick a basement window in to push my baby and the stroller through, in case the truck blew up," Martinez said.
An emotional Martinez told 7NEWS that she shuddered to think what might have happened.
"Losing either one would have been terrible," she said, with tears welling in her eyes. "I don't know what I would have done without my mother or my baby."
The mom said she was grateful to neighbors who heard the crash and came running out to rescue the victims.
"They found Grace's stroller tangled up in the downed tree. She had dirt and leaves in her mouth and glass all over her face, the baby's mom said.
The baby received a few minor cuts on her face and head and was transported to the hospital as a precaution. She's back home now, in her mother's arms.
"My family was protected by the angels above," Martinez said. "And by the family across the street."
More:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/20953804/detail.html