Police officers and firefighters in Boulder, Colorado, raced to rescue a mother and her 4-year-old child after their SUV crashed into a retaining wall, leaving it hanging precipitously over the edge of the wall.
The dramatic rescue was captured on body camera footage released by the Boulder Police Department.
On January 16, at the intersection of 30th Street and Valmont Road, Officers Raquel Ray and Carlos Castro responded to reports of a vehicle crash.
Upon arrival, they discovered a Lexus SUV in an unstable position along a retaining wall, with the adult driver still inside.
The body camera footage showed the officers rushing to the scene. After locating the silver SUV, Officer Ray can be heard shouting for the driver to stop as the vehicle’s engine revved.
Officer Castro then instructed the mother to turn off the engine and proceeded to extract the 4-year-old child from the backseat.
As Boulder Fire and Rescue units arrived at the scene, the officers worked to safely remove the child from the vehicle.
The child, visibly shaken, asked first responders to help her mom, to which Officer Castro reassured: “I will help her out too.”
The fire department, in a post on social media, commended the officers for their quick and effective actions in removing the child passenger from the vehicle.
Firefighters then collaborated with law enforcement to stabilize the front of the SUV, allowing the driver to exit safely.
“Luckily, both passengers were unharmed. Incidents like this involve many moving pieces (sometimes literally), and vehicle extrication is a skill that firefighters routinely practice and use,” stated the Boulder Fire and Rescue.
Carlos Castro also praised the work of firefighters at the scene.
“Do you want to talk to the firefighters? They’re heroes,” the officer stated.
However, the incident didn’t end with the rescue. The mother now faces charges of careless driving, reckless endangerment and child abuse, according to the Boulder Police Department.
Authorities are also exploring the possibility that the driver may have experienced a medical event leading to the crash.
