Harrowing video shows Florida cop and passersby free woman and child pinned under car

UPDATE: The 80-year-old woman who was pulled from under a car Dec. 18 in Tampa has died, according to police. Her 3-year-old great-granddaughter “continues to improve” at a hospital.

The original story is below.

A frantic rescue video shared by Tampa police shows good Samaritans and a police officer joined forces to save the lives of an 80-year-old woman and 3-year-old girl pinned under a Toyota Corolla in Florida.

The two became trapped around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 18, when a driver rolled over them at the Arbor Ponds Apartments, Tampa police said in a news release.

Video shows Corporal Lance Baker arrived to find the woman and child were still breathing, thanks to a hydraulic jack used by neighbors to raise the car a few inches.

The crying girl is seen encased in a crushed baby stroller, while her great grandmother is pinned sideways, with her head and shoulders sticking out from under the car.

“You okay, ma’am? Ma’am can you hear me?” Baker is heard asking, as he kneels next to the woman. “Can you breathe, ma’am?”

In the three minutes that follow, Baker is seen pulling crushed groceries from around the woman, allowing her to breathe more easily.

He and firefighters then pulled out the child and stroller, which freed up space to more easily maneuver her great grandmother out from under the car.

Both remain hospitalized, with the child in stable condition and her great grandmother in critical condition, police said.

“We are proud of Cpl. Baker’s quick actions and calmness under pressure,” police officials said.

“Had it not been for the quick actions of Cpl. Baker, good Samaritans and Tampa Fire Rescue firefighters, a grandmother and a young child may not have made it out of this accident alive.”

Investigators say the woman and child were returning from a grocery store when a 23-year-old driver rolled over them while backing out of a parking space.

“The driver said he felt a bump, but assumed it was a large storm drain located behind his car and attempted to pull forward,” police said.

“When the vehicle did not move, he became aware that he had struck someone. The victims were trapped beneath the car.”

The accident is under investigation and “civil violations are pending for the driver,” police say.

This story was originally published December 20, 2022 at 1:19 PM with the headline "Harrowing video shows Florida cop and passersby free woman and child pinned under car."