By Irene Wright
The Charlotte Observer
ENGLEWOOD, Fla. — A six-month-old baby was seriously injured when a crash trapped the baby underneath debris and a motorcyclist’s body, a Florida sheriff’s office said.
A sheriff’s deputy is credited with saving the baby’s life.
Deputy Sgt. Dave Musgrove was driving his patrol vehicle Feb. 8 when a motorcyclist sped past him in another lane, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 16 news release.
The sheriff’s office released dash camera and body-worn camera footage of the terrifying moments that followed. The video is extremely graphic.
The motorcyclist passed at more than an estimated 100 MPH, Musgrove said, and seconds later the deputy saw a bright light and plume of dust and smoke.
Musgrove turned on his emergency lights and pulled up to an intersection where the motorcycle had collided with another vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.
The motorcycle was shattered in the road, footage from Musgrove’s dash camera showed, and screaming was coming from the vehicle.
“As (Musgrove) approached, he observed the motorcyclist, deceased, wedged into the rear window on the driver’s side of the vehicle,” the sheriff’s office said. “As Sgt. Musgrove rushed to check on the victims, he heard the driver yell to him, pleading to help her children.”
Musgrove ran around the vehicle and opened the backseat passenger door to find a young girl in a booster seat, the sheriff’s office said. He pulled her out of the car as the mother yelled that there was a baby on the other side.
A man driving a truck pulled up to the scene, and Musgrove flagged him down with his flashlight, yelling “Come help me! Please! Please!” the video showed.
The man ran from his truck and took the young girl, while Musgrove ran back to the car for the other child, the sheriff’s office said. The baby was trapped.
“Underneath the deceased motorcyclist, Sgt. Musgrove located a baby seat with an infant inside, who was apparently unconscious,” the sheriff’s office said. “At this time, some bystanders approached and helped to move the motorcyclist off of the infant and cut the seat belt so that Sgt. Musgrove could remove the car seat and check on the baby.”
Musgrove pulled the baby from the car as their mother screamed for help, the video shows, and he found the baby was not breathing and did not have a pulse.
He started chest compressions until he heard the baby take in a big breath, the sheriff’s office said.
At this point, paramedics had arrived and took over life-saving efforts, soon detecting a pulse for the child, according to the sheriff’s office.
In the video, Musgrove yells at deputies — now with the mother — to tell her her baby is alive.
“Although the road to recovery will be long, the baby is alive and receiving treatment thanks to Sgt. Musgrove’s efforts prior to EMS arriving. Both the other child and the mother are doing well,” the sheriff’s office said.
The motorcyclist was not identified by the sheriff’s office.
“The actions of Sgt. Musgrove are to be commended. His poise and calm demeanor in a scene of chaos and tragedy ultimately saved the life of a beautiful child. I want to thank the bystanders who came to his aid as well, allowing him to focus on the immediate need of the baby,” Sheriff Bill Prummell said in the release. “I offer my thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of the motorcyclist.”
The crash occurred in Englewood, about 90 miles south of Tampa.
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