Dramatic body and dash camera footage captured the moment a Florida sheriff’s deputy saved the life of a 6-month-old baby after a motorcycle that was going more than 100 mph slammed into the vehicle the infant was in with her mom and sister.
Kayleigh Foley, the baby’s mother, told local media that Charlotte County Deputy Sergeant Dave Musgrove is a “hero” for saving her 6-month-old daughter, Lola, after the crash earlier this month. The motorcyclist died in the wreck and Lola remains hospitalized from her injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.
Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) shared a more than 4-minute clip of Musgrove’s heroic actions online, which went viral on social media where it was reshared by multiple users.
Collin Rugg, the co-owner of the Trending Politics news website, was one of the social media users to post the clip, sharing the video on X, formerly Twitter, where it quickly went viral on Sunday.
In just a few hours after it was shared by Rugg, the clip amassed nearly 350,000 views and 4,000 likes.
Sensitive content warning: The below video contains content that some viewers may find difficult to watch.
Newsweek reached out via email on Sunday night to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) for comment.
The fatal crash happened shortly after 7:30 p.m. on February 8, when Musgrove said he was driving on South McCall Road in Englewood, Florida, when he was passed by a “motorcycle traveling at a high rate of speed,” according to a February 16 statement by CCSO. The motorcyclist was estimated to be driving in “excess of” 100 mph, the sheriff’s office said.
Just seconds after witnessing the motorcycle speed by, Musgrove said he then saw a “cloud of dust and smoke” ahead of him in the median area of Regina Drive, and realized that the bike had collided with a vehicle at the intersection, according to CCSO.
As Musgrove approached the scene, he saw the “shattered” motorcycle, which had come to rest in the left lane and was unoccupied, CCSO said, noting that the motorcyclist was thrown from his bike and was “wedged into the rear window on the driver’s side of the vehicle.”
Inside the vehicle were Foley and her two children, 6-month-old Lola and her 3-year-old daughter, according to the sheriff’s office, which stated that the motorcyclist’s body had landed on top of the infant.
In bodycam footage shared online by CCSO, you can hear the fear in Kayleigh Foley’s voice as she pleaded for Musgrove to help her children.
“My baby! I need my baby,” she can be heard yelling amid the chaos.
The video shows Musgrove first removing the older child from her booster seat in the vehicle’s back seat before he flags down another driver for help to hold the toddler so he can rescue the baby, CCSO said.
“At this time, some bystanders approached and helped to move the motorcyclist off of the infant and cut the seat belt so that Sgt. Musgrove could remove the car seat and check on the baby,” CCSO said. “The infant had no pulse and was not breathing.”
Musgrove quickly removed the baby from the car seat and began chest compressions, the sheriff’s office said, adding that despite not observing any signs of life at first, the deputy continued compressions “until the child finally inhaled deeply.” Paramedics at the scene then took over lifesaving efforts and said they had detected a pulse. Musgrove can be heard in the footage telling first responders to give the mother an update on her baby’s condition.
“The actions of Sgt. Musgrove are to be commended,” CCSO Sheriff Bill Prummell said. “His poise and calm demeanor in a scene of chaos and tragedy ultimately saved the life of a beautiful child. I want to thank the bystanders who came to his aid as well, allowing him to focus on the immediate need of the baby.”
CCSO urges people to “please ride responsibly.”
“This was a senseless accident that resulted in a life lost, but it would have been two lives had Dave not been there,” the sheriff said. “Still, I offer my thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of the motorcyclist, and I ask that you keep this mother and her children in your prayers.”
The infant’s recovery is expected to be long, as the little girl is in stable condition but intubated and sedated, according to an update on the family’s GoFundMe page.
“The baby is alive and receiving treatment thanks to Sgt. Musgrove’s efforts prior to EMS arriving,” CCSO said, noting that both the other child and the mother are doing well.
During an interview with Florida station WFLA, the baby’s mother and grandmother said they owe Musgrove “undying gratitude.”
“Because of officer Dave Musgrove, she’s still here,” said Lisa Foley, the baby’s grandmother.
“He’s our hero,” Kayleigh Foley added.
“He is,” Lisa Foley said. “He will forever be our hero. And undying gratitude from every person in our family. We will never repay him for what he did, because what he did for us was life changing.”
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Source: newsweek
