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PHOTOS: Baby Stops Breathing But is Saved by Roadside Helpers

The baby is reportedly in stable condition at a local hospital

By Feb. 21, 2014
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APTOPIX Roadside CPR
Al Diaz / The Miami Herald / AP

Pamela Rauseo, 37, performs CPR on her nephew Sebastian de la Cruz, on the side of a Florida state road on Feb. 20, 2014.

A baby stopped breathing while riding along a Miami highway on Thursday but was saved when several good Samaritans pulled over to help, including a veteran news photographer who captured pictures of the scene. Pamela Rauseo reportedly waved cars down from the side of the road while holding her five-month-old nephew, the Miami Herald reports.

“My sister had trusted me with him,” Rauseo said.

Gridlocked drivers sprang from their vehicles to assist the panicked Rauseo, including Miami Herald photographer Al Diaz who was in a car behind hers. He ran through traffic lanes to find help while a Miami woman left her car to revive the infant who had begun to turn blue. A police officer summoned by Diaz later helped perform CPR on the baby, who reportedly was born prematurely and suffers from respiratory issues.

A myriad of rescue workers were also stuck in traffic and assisted further. According to the Herald, the baby was in stable condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital on Thursday. Diaz, a member of a Pulitzer Prize winning team at the Miami Herald, captured the entire event.
Roadside CPR

Al Diaz / The Miami Herald / AP

Pamela Rauseo, 37, performs CPR on her nephew, five-month-old Sebastian de la Cruz, after pulling her SUV over on the side of the road along the west bound lane on Florida state road 836 on Feb. 20, 2014.

Roadside CPR

Al Diaz / The Miami Herald / AP

Sweetwater officer Amauris Bastidas keeps a watchful eye waiting for paramedics after aiding a five-month-old Sebastian de la Cruz who stopped breathing on Feb. 20, 2014.