It’s easy to take nannies for granted because they are paid to care for children, but this Long Island nanny went beyond her duty to save the life of her charge.
Sixty-two-year-old Loretta Penn and the nine-month-old baby were outside for a leisurely stroll when suddenly an SUV came rushing toward them.
Acting out of pure instinct, she pushed the stroller away from the vehicle, and as a result got struck instead, according to CBS New York.
“Witnesses said that she was crossing the crosswalk, the operator of the vehicle never saw her, and as she saw the car was going to strike her, she pushed the stroller out of harm's way,” Rockville Centre Police Commissioner Charles Gennario told 1010 WINS.
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“She knew she was going to get struck by the vehicle and had the wherewithal to protect the baby.”
Among the many people who rushed to Loretta’s aid was Alex Antigua, but soon people found that they had limited means of helping her.
“I ran outside, because I wanted to try to help everybody lift up the car,” said Alex.
“By that time, it was already kind of too late, because at that point, when we were trying to lift the car, it looked like we were hurting her more than helping her. So when I looked down, the lady was literally under the car, and then I saw the back of her head was bleeding.”
Loretta’s legs and head were pinned under the SUV, and the good Samaritans around her tried to lift the car but it did no good.
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The nine-moth-old baby’s parents were devastated of the news, but hailed Loretta a hero.
“She's practically family to us,” Twah Dougherty, Penn's employer, “I'm not surprised that, you know, she did what she did.” The baby barely suffered any scratches.
She was then rushed to the hospital where she remains in a coma at the intensive care unit.
“She was in and out of consciousness, and her one concern that she asked was if the baby was OK,” Twah said. “We are praying for her, and it's just, it's really unfortunate.”
A good nanny
There is no such thing as a perfect nanny, but it’s important to find someone who is good at what they do not only because it will ease your mind about whether or not your child is taken care of, but also because you can make sure that he or she that your child’s safety will be top priority.
It is true that the hunt for a good nanny is a long and arduous process, and you may even have to experience a few bad ones, but it will pay off once you do find him or her.
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