A mother is dead after a freak accident occurred in Miami while she was pushing her baby in a stroller. Jaklin Sabag, 33, was pushing her 8-month-old son in a stroller along Biscayne Boulevard at 22nd Street when she was struck by a flatbed truck. The horrific crash killed the mother, and her young son was rushed to a nearby hospital.
A witness told CBS Miami he was shocked by what they saw, and the driver of the truck looked overcome with grief. Now, loved ones are grappling with how such a tragic accident could have happened.
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The accident occurred just before 1 p.m.
Per CBS News Miami, police were called to the scene around 12:40 p.m. February 14. Mike Vega, public information officer for the Miami Police Department, said when officers arrived, they found Sabag and the stroller pinned underneath the truck.
A witness told the news outlet that the mother seemed to have disappeared. "You could not see the woman because she was underneath the wheels," Juan Camilo Giron said.
Sabag was allegedly not using the crosswalk.
Vega told 7 News that Sabag was not crossing properly, according to the reviewed surveillance video.
"The victim, in this case, was crossing in front of the truck, not at the pedestrian crosswalk. The truck, obviously, didn't see that she was in front of it and proceeded to move forward as she was still in front of the truck, and unfortunately, he ran over her," Vega explained.
Vega added that the video shows Sabag walking in front of the truck, "Not only did she cross in front of him, but when she got to the double yellow lines, she actually stopped to look at traffic going northbound, to make sure she wouldn't get hit, not knowing that she is standing in front of this big truck that won't see her," he said.
The accident is under investigation, although thus far no one has been cited or charged, according to CBS News Miami.
The driver of the truck was reportedly distraught by what happened.
The truck driver reportedly realized he had hit something and stopped the truck. Vega told 7 News that the driver did the right thing.
"Beside our officers here, we also have our police chaplains, two of them, that are here talking to them and trying to comfort them because how heartbreaking is it that on Valentine's Day, you're crossing, you're just driving, and you just killed somebody," Vega explained, per 7 News. "It's heartbreaking. It must have a psychological effect on the person that actually ran her over. But we have our chaplains here that are actually talking to them, praying for them and offering comfort in this hard time."
Giron told CBS News Miami the accident scene was horrific, and the truck driver was visibly shaken. "The truck driver, he put his hands in his head as he was just walking in circles," Giron said.
The accident shocked loved ones.
A friend of Sabag's, Tasha Insua, told 7 News she was shocked to hear what happened to her friend.
"Everyone just needs to be aware of their surroundings, aware of people on bicycles riding their bicycles," Insua said. "They need to be aware of the cars, cars need to be aware of the people on the bicycle, people crossing the street. Just take a little bit more time. Somebody just lost their mom, baby just lost their mom."
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Thankfully, the baby seems to be OK.
Per multiple sources, including 7 News, the infant was taken to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial. Although his stroller was heavily damaged, the infant, whose name was not released, is expected to be OK.
"It was a black stroller, but it was kind of destroyed. The police took it in one of their cars," Giron told 7 News. "I think it's crazy that today, on Valentine's Day, a lot of stuff has been happening in Miami."
