Concerned citizen saves toddler from toll road
By Tim Mosier
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MISHAWAKA, Indiana (WBND-LD) — According to the Mishawaka Police Department, a toddler has survived an attempt by his father to end both of their lives Wednesday morning.
Police say the call came in around 12:47 a.m. of a brother and sister that had found a vehicle parked facing south in the northbound lanes of traffic on North Main Street, on the overpass over the Indiana Toll Road.
“The brother then observed [the 45-year-old South Bend man] near the vehicle,” MPD said. “He was holding [what] was later found to be his three-year-old son.”
The man then jumped off of the bridge and he and his son landed on the eastbound (left hand) lane of the toll road.
“The citizen that had stopped tried to stop [the man] but lost his grip due to the loose clothing [the man] was wearing,” MPD said.
The concerned citizen was able to make his way down from Main Street to the toll road and tried to pull both the man and the child out of the road.
“There was considerable vehicular traffic at the time. Fortunately, no one else was injured,” MPD said. “Both [the man] and the child were transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend for treatment.”
The man died from his injuries but the three-year-old is not seriously injured and is expected to be released from the hospital within a day or so, according to authorities.
MPD says the mother of the three-year-old has been located and told what happened and she is with her child at the hospital.
“Traffic disruption was a minimum, although I do not know how long traffic was stopped for,” an MPD Sergeant said. “Traffic was literally blocked by a couple of semi-trucks before any emergency vehicles could get on scene. It is simply a miracle that no one was struck by any vehicles. The response from MPD, Mishawaka Fire, ISP and County Police was pretty quick.”
If you or anyone you know is suffering from depression or any other mental illness, please contact the Suicide Prevention Hotline by dialing 988 or visit the Indiana Suicide Prevention Resource website.
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