Barbara Baker, an African American bus driver in Tampa, Florida, is being praised for rescuing a young boy who was found alone and barefoot on a busy street. Her calm response helped reunite the child with his family.
While driving her usual route on August 31, Baker noticed a small boy in pajamas wandering in the middle of traffic. Realizing the danger, she immediately stopped the bus and ran to help.
“Oh my God, that’s a baby,” Baker recalled, according to Local 12. “My heart just dropped, and that’s what made me jump off the bus.”
She gently approached the boy and spoke to him calmly. “When I approached the baby, he looked at me and I said, ‘Come on baby, let me take you to mommy.’ So he let me pick him up,” she said.
Baker carried the boy to safety and stayed with him until Tampa police arrived. Officers soon began knocking on nearby doors to find his family while Baker kept the child calm.
“When the police came, it’s like I almost wanted to cry because I thought about my grandbabies,” Baker said.
Authorities later found the boy’s mother, and the child was safely reunited with his family. Baker’s quick thinking and kindness have earned her praise from the Hillsborough Transit Authority and the community.
SOURCE: blacknews.com