Nearly 20 strangers ran to the aid of a grandmother and two toddlers on Saturday afternooon when an elderly driver ran them over in New York.
The 77-year-old unidentified driver was backing up on a street in Brooklyn when he hit the grandmother and toddlers. The children were being pushed across the street in a stroller when the panicked driver hit the gas pedal, further reversing the car onto the sidewalk and into a chain-link fence.
The grandmother, identified as Elizabeth Castillo, and the toddlers were immediately pinned under the vehicle.
One witness to the accident tells NBC News :
“You saw the carriages go straight underneath [the car].”
Thankfully, nearly two dozen bystanders ran to the aid of the grandmother and 3-year-old Tyrese and 17-month-old Tashia.
While Castillo suffered a broken collarbone and Tashia suffered from a broken arm, all three victims have been listed in stable condition in a Bellevue Hospital.
Tashia’s father watched video of the incident and told NBC 4 New York that he was thankful for every single helper. “I love them for doing that. I love them for doing that,” he said.
Here is the video of the neighborly rescue:
As expected, friends of the victims are angered that a 77-year-old driver was allowed to carry a license when he so clearly had no right to be behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle.
The fate of the driver’s license is still unknown at this time.
Do you think elderly drivers should be required to undergo more stringent license testing to avoid these type of situations?
