As a child, I often heard stories about people performing heroic and superhuman acts to save loved ones or children in danger. There was the mom who famously lifted a car off of her teenage son. There was the daughter who did the same to save her father’s life. The phenomena is known as hysterical strength. It’s a real thing.
But there are also times when our best efforts simply aren’t enough. That was the case when one woman couldn’t stop a runaway baby stroller that was heading directly into traffic. Thankfully though, there was someone to help.
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A woman fell and struggled to get up as a child in a stroller rolled toward oncoming traffic.
The chilling incident took place on Tuesday, in front of an A1 Carwash in Hesperia, California. Video captured the moment a woman stumbled as a stroller carrying a small child rolled toward the street. The woman struggled to get up to catch the stroller, but fell again, and was unable to get to it. Miraculously, just as the stroller was heading for oncoming traffic, a man walking by grabbed the handle and saved the child.
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The man had just finished a job interview when he saw the stroller.
Ronald Nessman had just wrapped up a job interview at a nearby Applebee’s when he grabbed the child.
"I came from the interview, my sister said, 'I want to get a car wash,’” Nessman told KABC. “And I said, 'Look at the way I'm dressed … tie on, slacks, let me go change,' and she goes, 'No one is going to see you.'" Well, Nessman’s sister was wrong. Many people have now seen him because of the way he intervened to save this child.
Nessman said the woman was traumatized.
“The wind was blowing so hard, by the time I got to it, it was at the top of that driveway," he recalled. "I noticed the stroller was going toward traffic. I instinctively ran toward the stroller and got it before it went into traffic."
After Nessman made sure the child was safe, he went to check on the woman. “She was traumatized, she was crying, she was just in shock," he said. "That's why I gave her a hug."
The woman was the baby's great aunt.
The woman was the baby’s great aunt, CBS News reported. The woman is in her 60s. Neither the aunt nor the baby have been identified.
"I seen her and I felt so bad for the lady," said Nessman. "I got nephews and nieces and I couldn't imagine something like that."
Nessman is hoping this story can be a reminder to the public: Always make sure that the stroller wheels are locked.
Nessman believes this incident might be a sign that his life is changing for the better.
Nessman has been lauded as a hero everywhere, but he doesn’t want the praise. Instead, he’s looking for a second chance. Nessman, who was once homeless, recently moved in with his sister. He says he lost his partner several years back, which led to some setbacks.
“My girlfriend passed away in 2018, it was very traumatic for me," he said. "After she passed away, I didn't feel like doing anything." Nessman is hoping that this incident is a sign of better days to come.
"If you want something different, you're going to do something different, and today, I want something different out of life," said Nessman.
