Caught On Camera Exclusive: Food Delivery Driver Rescues 2-Year-Old In Diapers Wandering Into Burbank Boulevard At Night
VAN NUYS (CBSLA) - A food delivery driver spotted a young child in the middle of a bustling valley road, pulled his car over and ran headlong into the street to stop traffic and save the child.
Gerson Tavares had no idea what was about to unfold when he accepted one last delivery request.
His vehicle's dash-cam caught the harrowing moment when Tavares spotted a 2-year-old boy in diapers running down a busy Burbank Boulevard at night and right in front of his car.
"I run more and more. I know if I got out of the lane, the drivers don't see the boy. The boy is little, little," Gerson said.
So, Gerson said he waved his arms so other drivers would see him in case they couldn't see the child, who he believes may have run into head-on traffic because he was completely transfixed by a game tablet.
"...with the game tablet, all the time, the little boy on the game tablet," he said.
Eventually, Gerson was able to stop traffic and get the child out of the road, right in front of a church.
"When the drivers stopped, I...okay. I grabbed the boy in my arms. Thank you, God," he said.
Asked if he believed it was God who helped him save the child, Gerson didn't hesitate.
"Yes. I'm not a hero. God is a hero," he said.
However, Gerson's son Igor can't contain his pride for his father and lifelong protector.
"Yeah, he's a father of four," Igor said, adding that his dad is definitely a hero for risking his own life to intervene. "You were the right guy at the right place, doing the right thing. And for me, what makes me more proud of him was how quick he acted. Fast reaction, just the way I expect my dad to react, you know. My hero. I love this guy."
It is still unclear how the 2-year-old ended up in the road. Los Angeles Police officials said they located the child's guardian and return him to his home, but that the Department of Child and Family Services will investigate to determine whether or not any further action needs to be taken.
"Something bad could have happened," Igor said. "Thank God it didn't."
Tavares said that other drivers initially put on their hazards when they saw the boy in the road and, eventually, a couple of them stopped to help as well.
