Toddler Walks Away Seconds Before Car Crashes Through Backyard Fence
A backyard was supposed to be a place of safety and fun on a Sunday evening for one Texas family and their three children. Instead, surveillance footage captured a car bursting through the fence.
Mere seconds prior, their 2-year-old had been right in its path, hanging out while the two older 5-year-old twins were in the water. Then the child just happened to walk away.
Mere moments later, the vehicle smashed through the fence, sending pieces of it flying across the yard. The Van Dusen family told CBS Texas that all three children escaped injury.
Seconds Made All The Difference
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Fort Worth police said officers responded at about 7 p.m. Sept. 13 to the 1500 block of Heritage Trace. Police cited the driver for reckless driving. A passenger in the vehicle was taken to a hospital in an unknown condition, according to CBS Texas.
The family’s security camera shows just how close an ordinary evening by the pool came to turning into a parent’s worst nightmare.
Seconds after the toddler moved, debris was thrown toward the area where the child had just been standing. The parents immediately gathered their children before one went to check on the people inside the car.
The parents called it an “act of God” that their 2-year-old was not struck, according to CBS Texas.
Neighbors Say Speeding Has Been A Problem
Neighbor Toni Gunter told CBS Texas that speeding is a daily occurrence along the road.
Fort Worth Councilmember Charlie Lauersdorf said, “Any time you have these new developments that just have long stretches of road with nothing to slow drivers down, it’s a problem.” He said he hoped to have a stop sign installed within 30 days and planned to pursue a broader traffic study.
Lauersdorf separately told NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth that he asked Fort Worth police to establish a stronger speed enforcement presence in the area. He also requested that the city’s Transportation and Public Works Department consider a stop sign near the crash site itself.
