Baby Thrown 25 Feet From Van In 3-Vehicle Crash Survives, Smiles At Rescuers

A baby girl was thrown 25 feet during a three-vehicle pileup in Harrison Township, Ohio, on Monday,according to WHIO, and in what some are calling a miracle, the baby opened her eyes and smiled at rescuers who found her.

According to CBS 6, rescuers found seven-month-old baby Madison 25 feet from the crash site, still strapped into her car seat after it was thrown from the van on impact. The report notes that the car seat was found upside down, and Madison’s eyes were closed.

Although rescuers expected the worst, instead of tragedy, they found baby Madison was alive and well, according to WHIO. Madison reportedly looked up at the rescuers and smiled at them. Baby Madison survived the crash with only bruises to her head.

According to WHIO, Alicia Lewis, aunt to Madison’s mom Lashanda Goldsmith, said,

“They said her eyes were closed, literally closed and she was face down in the car seat … When they flipped her over they thought she was dead. Then they said her eyes opened and she started smiling.”

Lewis added that baby Madison had no idea what was happening, but that “we’re the ones traumatized, but she’s not.”

According to WHIO, witnesses to the three-vehicle-crash reported that the car that hit the van in which baby Madison, her mom Lashanda Goldsmith, and another 15-year-old child were passengers, ran a red light.

A semi-trailer was also involved in the crash, which deputies classified as a hit and run initially, since the driver fled the scene. However, the report notes that the deputies were quick to locate that person, who is presumably now in custody.

WHIO reports that five people were injured from the three vehicles involved. The 15-year-old and one other person suffered injuries severe enough to list them as being in critical condition, and Madison’s mom suffered minor injuries as well.

The crash took place at the Philadelphia Drive and Turner Road intersection, which is in Harrison Township, Ohio, to which Montgomery County Ohio Sheriff Deputies responded at about 10 a.m., according to the report.

Rhonda Moody, Another of Madison’s relatives, said,

“God does not make mistakes. I tell people that all the time. When things happen, it’s all in His will.”

That baby Madison was in a car seat is almost surely what saved her from serious injuries and death.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that car crashes are “a leading cause of death among children,” and that in 2012, 1,100 children 14 and younger died while 179,000 were injured as the result of a car accident.

According to safety laws in every state, parents must secure babies and children properly when riding in vehicles and in one of three ways as per the age, weight, and height of the child, according to the CDC.

Do you think it was a miracle that saved baby Madison, the car seat, or both?

[Screenshots via WHIO-TV]