DENVER — Dramatic video shows the moment a bus driver spotted a toddler in the middle of a busy road in Denver.
"Oh my God, somebody's baby is in the street," Rashida Way-Smith yelled from the driver's seat while on South Parker Road.
Way-Smith immediately stopped the bus, jumped out, picked up the child, brought him aboard and strapped him into a seat.
She said she was on the road when two cars in front of her suddenly swerved into another lane.
"As I slowed my vehicle down, I noticed a little baby right in the middle of the street," said Way-Smith, a contract bus driver for the Regional Transportation District's Access-A-Ride service.
Way-Smith said the baby didn't have shoes or socks and was wearing a soiled diaper.
She pulled into a nearby parking lot and contacted RTD dispatch, which sent a security officer to meet her.
'You saved that baby's life'
One of Way-Smith's passengers lauded her action.
"You saved that baby's life," the passenger said in the video.
When the dispatcher asked how old the child was, Way-Smith replied, "I'd say two or three at the oldest."
"Does the child look injured at all? And what's the race of the child?" the dispatcher asked.
Way-Smith replied, "She's definitely not injured and she's black."
Initially, the driver thought the toddler was a girl. Turns out, it was a boy.
The contract bus driver, who has worked for MV Transportation for three years, was still shaken Tuesday while talking about the Saturday incident.
"I feel like if I wasn’t there at that moment, (he) definitely could’ve gotten run over," she said.
A neighbor who learned about the rescue said Way-Smith is a miracle.
"God bless you," the neighbor said. "You saved a kid's life."
When asked if she had any advice for other drivers, Way-Smith said, "be safe, pay attention on the roads, and pay attention in your personal life. You never know who you may need to help."
No charges filed
After investigating the incident, Denver police turned the case over to the district attorney's office, which decided not to file any charges.
A spokesman said the case has been referred to the Colorado Department of Human Services.
This story was originally published by Lance Hernandez on KMGH.
