Woman struck by car, saves 1-year-old girl

A woman pushing a baby in a stroller Saturday evening near Mount Baker Park was struck by a car in a crosswalk and thrown onto the hood, but she managed to save the child, Seattle police say.

The woman, identified as a family’s nanny, saw the car approaching and pushed the stroller out of the way, according to police. Although the car brushed the stroller and knocked it over, the 1-year-old girl was strapped in tight enough to prevent her from being injured, police say.

The woman, who reportedly was thrown onto the hood with enough force to break the windshield, was taken to Harborview Medical Center for a possible broken or dislocated shoulder.

Witnesses told police the car was traveling west on South McClellan Street at about 6 p.m. when it came to a stop at Lake Park Drive South. Meanwhile, the woman and baby were heading south in the crosswalk, but the car’s driver did not see them and accelerated through the intersection, according to police.

Local resident Alan Newton said he drove through the intersection shortly after the accident and found a terrifying scene.

“There was a woman and child lying on the ground with people surrounding them. They were picking up pieces of the stroller off the pavement,” he said. “It was horrible.”

Alexsis Gant was working at Mioposto Pizzeria, located at the intersection, when she heard “the aluminum of a car crunching” and gasps from customers.

“I looked out and saw a stroller flipped over with one of its wheels rolling down the street,” Gant said Sunday. “I was just terrified. We all called 911, and they responded very quickly.”

The car’s driver, she added, appeared in “genuine shock. The first thing I heard him say was: ‘The sun was in my eyes.’?”

Seattle police spokeswoman Renee Witt said the driver was not arrested but an investigation is ongoing. She said she did not know if any citations were issued to the driver.