An 8-month-old baby girl was killed when a bus jumped a curb and careened into a lamppost, knocking the post over and onto a stroller holding the little girl in West New York, N.J., according to the Jersey Journal.
The driver of the bus, Idowu Daramola, 49, was on his cell phone at the time of the crash. Daramola has been charged with death by auto and reckless driving. In all the bus struck two lampposts, a traffic light, a tree and four parked cars before coming to a stop, according to the Jersey Journal.
"The pole fell on the carriage, crushing the baby," Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari told the New York Times. "It's a terrible tragedy."
A family friend identified the child as Angelie Paredes. Her mother, Maylin Paredes, was not injured in the crash. The two had been waiting at a bus stop at the corner of John F. Kennedy Boulevard East and 54th Street when the accident occurred, according to the New York Times.
When West New York Police Officer Michael Stetson arrived on the scene the baby had no pulse and was not breathing so the officer desperately tried to save her by administering CPR, according to the Jersey Journal.
"After CPR, she was gasping every third breath I gave her," Stetson said. En route to the hospital the baby passed away.
Juan Navarrrete heard the crash from his apartment and hurried down to see if there was anything he could do to help.
"That officer worked so hard," Navarrrete told the Jersey Journal. "He was trying to keep her alive. You don't know the person, but that's a human being. I really cried over there."
The bus belonged to Sphinx Transportation and runs a shuttle route between New York City and New Jersey, according to the Associated Press.
