After an SUV was broadsided in Chicago at night, a group rushed the wrecked vehicle with hammers and bats as a mother cried out for her baby from inside the wreckage. The dramatic moment was all caught on video.
In the Gage Park area of Lawndale, Isaac Terrazas and other residents sprang into action when an SUV flipped over after a car crash in Chicago, Illinois, as reported by CBS. A speeding van ran a red light and hit the SUV at the intersection of 51st and Lawndale, causing the vehicle to roll over and entrap a family inside.
Fortunately, Terrazas and about a dozen others didn’t hesitate to come to the family’s aid, despite their initial fear. “Adrenaline, fear. My legs were shaking so bad, yeah, fear,” Terrazas recounted, expressing the emotions he felt during the rescue. “I was scared for them,” he admitted.
Terrazas described the moment they decided to flip the SUV over: “We didn’t know if anybody else [besides the driver] was in there, so we decided to flip it over. And, we made sure on the other side no one would get crushed.” Upon getting closer, Terrazas, his stepdad, and others realized there were more people inside, including a mother desperately crying for her baby.
Neighbors used their bare hands to push the SUV upright, being driven into action by the mother’s cries. The dramatic moments were captured on video.
When they discovered a child strapped in the backseat, the urgency grew. “As soon as we found it was a little child in there, that was the turning point,” said James Nass IV. He noted, “We definitely needed to do something because the fire department was five minutes away.”
The rescuers used whatever they could find, including hammers and bats, to break the windows and get the family out. “Hammers or bats, whatever they could just to break the windows to get them out,” Nass explained about the desperate efforts at the busy intersection, known for frequent accidents.
Just before the neighbors arrived, the SUV had been struck by a van, causing it to somersault twice. The van sped off without stopping, leaving the family trapped inside the overturned vehicle. Thanks to the neighborhood heroes, everyone in the SUV, including the child, was found to be in good condition, according to Chicago Police.
This community’s fast action, driven by their unity and desire to help, highlights the good that can come from collective efforts. “It didn’t matter what race we were, how old we were,” Terrazas said. “We’re all just humans, and we all helped, and that little act there shows we can come together and do something.” This incident underscores that amid adversity, there are always people ready to help if we look around.
Instead of focusing on the van driver’s heartless actions, this story shines a light on those who didn’t hesitate to help. People of all backgrounds came together, proving that the spirit of humanity can triumph over a seemingly indifferent world.
