Mom & toddlers hospitalized after being run over, pinned underneath car
By Darienne DeBrule , Spencer Burt
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LAYTON, Utah (KSTU) — Surveillance video from a Layton school parking lot shows dozens of people, including students, rushing to rescue a mother and her two children who were pinned underneath a car after being run over.
Tuesday’s accident happened shortly before 4 p.m. in the parking lot of Layton Christian Academy. Police say the woman, Bridgette Ponson, and her two kids, Archer and Ponson, were walking when they were hit by a driver heading west through the lot.
Ponson is a staff member of the school. One of the children, who are approximately 2 and 3 years old, was airlifted to Primary Children’s Hospital for treatment. The other child and Ponson were taken to a local hospital via ambulance.
Police said the car was moving relatively slowly, but they believe the sun was a factor that led to the driver hitting the three victims.
In the surveillance video from the parking lot, people can be seen rushing to the car to help the family and then lifting the vehicle to free them. The school commended the students, saying they “displayed incredible courage and presence of mind.”
“I walked out, there was a lot of commotion going on and people were just telling me to help and i just dropped myself and ran over,” said student Theophious Roach.
Moments later, Senior Airman Dominique Childress realized what was happening and went over to help the students.
“I noticed legs come out and I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, there’s an actual child under this car,’ so I was like, ‘Hey, guys, switch it up, let’s get the car high enough so we can get the kid out.’ Somebody came, pulled the kid out and mom was able to get out 15 seconds later,” he explained.
“The car was heavy,” said fellow student Junior Saripsat. “We did our best, and the moment I heard the kids crying I was like, ‘Oh, thank God, the kids are good.”
Officials updated the family’s condition Wednesday, saying the children had less serious injuries, with their scans coming back normal. Meanwhile Ponson has more serious injuries, but are considered non-life threatening and she is recovering.
“The doctor said it was a miracle that they didn’t have severe life-threatening injuries,” said Head of Schools Chris Crowder.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Ponson family cover medical bills and lost wages.
Police said the incident appeared to be an accident, and it is under investigation to determine if charges will be filed. The driver is cooperating.
“I’m very proud of our kids and I’m even proud of the driver who was behind the wheel,” said Crowder. “She immediately ran to help, she just was blinded, I was proud of everyone the kids just ran and without even having to tell them what to do they just knew what to do.”
Shortly before this, a similar accident occurred in Delta. A 12-year-old was hit while crossing Main Street and was taken to the hospital via LifeFlight.
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