I suppose a visit from Child Protective services would certainly be in order here, don't you think?
Thank God the baby wasn't killed.
Crawling baby rescued from middle of South Euclid street
Posted by Mark Puente/Plain Dealer Reporter
SOUTH EUCLID -- A 14-month-old boy wandered from his house Friday and was found crawling in the middle of a busy street by a passing driver.
"Thank God nothing happened and that people stopped," police Lt. Jeff Meyers said.
The child was crawling in the middle of Bayard Avenue near Warrensville Center Road about 8:45 a.m. The youngster was wearing only a diaper and a green onesie, witnesses said.
Rachel Downey of South Euclid was on her way to work when she approached the intersection and couldn't believe what she saw. She slammed on her brakes and jumped out of the car to prevent other cars from passing her and hitting the toddler.
"He was smack in the middle of the street," Downey said. "I grabbed him and looked for adults."
Nobody was outside, but Downey headed toward a house with an open front door. A 9-year-old girl then ran outside yelling for the toddler. Downey asked to speak with the girl's mother, but the child grabbed her brother and ran inside screaming.
The toddler was crawling and Downey said she probably would have hit him but the moving baby caught her eye. Downey's 5-year-old son was in the car with her.
"It's pretty awful," Downey said. "I'm still in shock. It's very upsetting."
The child's mother could not be reached for comment.
Police said the mother was upstairs in her home and left the toddler in the care of an older child. The house is under construction. The 14-month-old wandered outside when a construction worker left a door unlocked, Meyers said.
The case is under investigation. Police referred it to county social workers, which is standard in child investigations, Meyers said.
Katy Nozar of South Euclid was in the car behind Downey and also spotted the toddler in the street.
"I thought it was a doll," Nozar said. "It was so bizarre. I would have never thought it was a baby."
