NURSE HONORED FOR SAVING BABY FROM BURNING CAR

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy ECM news partner 10 News

May 17, 2014 (La Mesa) – A Kaiser Hospital nurse who rescued a baby and helped save the driver of a burning car in La Mesa has been honored for her actions at the Burn Institute’s Spirit of Courage Awards ceremony held on May 15th.

“These courageous individuals put their own safety aside to help someone they have never met,” said Susan Day, Burn Institute Executive Director. “They are heroes in the truest sense.”

Lacy Lawrence and her family were visiting a home for sale on Jackson Drive last July when they heard a vehicle collision. Rushing out, they found a smoldering sedan that had crashed into a parked SUV.

As the car began filling up with smoke, Lawrence saw a baby crying in a car seat in the back of the car.  The door was jammed, so she climbed into the vehicle through another door.  The car seat was wedged under a collapsed seat, but Lawrence, using all of her strength, managed to push the seat off and freed the baby.

 Lawrence then helped save the baby’s mother, the driver, who was slumped over the steering wheel and bleeding from injuries. She was trapped between the steering wheel and side of the car.

While others worried about injuring her neck if they moved her, Lawrence stated that a broken neck wouldn’t matter if the woman burned to death.   The she and other bystanders carefully supported the woman’s neck and lifted her out of the burning car.

The car burst into flames soon after. Firefighters arrived to douse the blaze and provide medical treatment to the driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt.  The baby, fortunately, was just fine – thanks to Lacy Lawrence.

 


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.