Passer-by catches baby in 3-story fall

The Denver Post ^ | 10/01/2006 | By Felisa Cardona

[rawhide]

The 9-month-old, left alone by young babysitters, was dangling from a railing before losing her grip.

The baby girl's tiny hand was wrapped around the third-floor railing of a Denver condominium complex, her feet dangling over the sidewalk below.

Mary Bussey and her son Brandon, who were on their way to his football game Saturday afternoon, saw the baby hovering above their heads.

The 9-month-old girl was crying, left alone while she was supposed to be in the care of her 13- and 10-year-old uncles, Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said Sunday.

The baby's teenage mother left the girl with her brothers while she went to work Saturday, Jackson said.

The boys wandered off and left the front door open, allowing the baby to crawl out onto therailing at the Shadow Wood condominiums at 3141 S. Tamarac Drive.

"I thought someone was hanging on to the baby from the other side," Bussey said. "I thought, 'What a rotten trick."'
But Bussey quickly realized that there was no trick and nobody was holding on to the baby.

Bussey told 13-year-old Brandon to run up the stairs and grab the baby before she fell. Bussey positioned herself under the railing.

"Her little fist was the only thing hanging on. The poor little thing could not hold on anymore," Bussey said.

Brandon didn't make it to the third floor. As the baby let go of the railing, Bussey put out her arms.

"I was very scared," Bussey said. "All I could say was, 'Don't drop. Don't drop."'

The little girl fell, and Bussey caught her.

"It's a really weird feeling having a baby fall in your arms," she said. "I held her to my body and hugged her. She completely stopped crying."

[beezdotcom]

and it's unclear how much of this was gross negligence, and how much of it was due to a brief, tragic moment of inattention that is committed by people of ANY age

Eh, scratch that....the boys wandered off. Ther main question is: should the mother have known that they would?

[JackDanielsOldNo7]

Liberals everywhere are saddened. A baby lives.

[VaBthang4]

Praise God.

Jesus is real!

[familyop]

"But the baby is still likelier to be better off staying with a mother who is working to support her than going into the hands of the state social workers."

...agreed. I've known a few school teachers in their 30s who left their small children home alone for an hour or more at a time. Replies to my concern from their feminist friends/coworkers were generally that "the children need to learn responsibility." Women are equipped to have children during their teen years, but most older ones today are not as responsible as 13-year-olds of more than a 100 years ago. Too many parents want their girls to put off having kids (IOWs, to be kids), until they have PhD.s and are in their 30s.

Our society is sick, indeed.

[MinuteGal]

What with Foley, the shootings in Amishland, etc. it's been hard to maintain senses of humor today. Your post really made me LOL.

Leni

[Mordacious]

Cornershop's "Brimful Of Asha"

Heheheh. Awesome song.

[Ladysmith]

OMG! Reading about that shook me up! Can't imagine what she was feeling when that baby started falling! What a miracle that she was there and able!

[AFPhys]

I agree with you completely.

Wonderful story. I wish the working mom good wishes, prayers, and a new appreciation for the life of her baby. I suspect she may never get over her contempt for her brothers, and I also hope that can be reconciled some day.

[GAB-1955]

"Forget foster care. The baby needs to be put up for adoption immediately and the teenage mother should be required to have her tubes tied."

Margaret Sanger, call your office.

[GAB-1955]

"Pretty impressive--we could use her skills in the NY Giants receiving corps."

Why not? They all run like girls anyway.

[zot]

Outstanding! She was at the right place, at the right time, and did what had to be done.

[CindyDawg]

I was baby sitting around 10 or 11 and was very responsible. So were my friends. What's different with kids now days?

[cgk]

Lovely heartwarming story. Thanks for posting it. God Bless this woman and her son.

[publana]

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

Graymatter, please pass your clue bucket to those less fortunate than you.

[skr]

Praise the Lord for His miracle for this little one!