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Dramatic video shows deputy rescuing baby trapped inside car after deadly crash in Florida
A sheriff’s deputy in southwestern Florida is being praised for saving the life of an infant who was found trapped and unresponsive inside a car that had just been hit by a speeding motorcycle. The collision, which left the motorcyclist dead, and its chaotic aftermath were recorded in dash camera and body camera video footage.
That video, released by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, shows Deputy Sgt. Dave Musgrove driving along a main roadway in Englewood, about 50 miles north of Fort Myers, when a bright flash suddenly appears in the distance followed by a mangled motorcycle strewn in the middle of the roadway. Musgrove pulls over as he approaches the motorcycle and steps out to find a car stopped along the side of the road.
Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office
The motorcyclist had been traveling at speeds over 100 miles per hour, according to the sheriff’s office, and slammed into the car. The collision killed the motorcyclist, but inside the car a woman and her young child were alive and screaming. In the video footage, Musgrove first removes the child from the car and handed her to a bystander to whom he called out for help. Then, the deputy uncovers an infant still strapped into a car seat who is initially unresponsive. She did not have a pulse and was not breathing, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Musgrove in the video then pulls the baby from the car seat and begins to perform chest compressions until she finally inhales. An emergency medical services crew arrived at the scene shortly after and continued life-saving measures on the infant, who eventually had a detectable pulse, according to the sheriff’s office.
“It was a miracle that the officer was right there, witnessed the accident, and got to her right away,” Lisa Foley, the baby’s grandmother, told CBS affiliate WINK News.
The baby, named Lola, has regained some mobility in her legs and arms since being hospitalized after the accident, although she has continued to have frequent seizures, said her grandfather, Tim Foley, in comments to the station. Both the mother and the older child are “doing well,” according to the sheriff’s office.
“The actions of Sgt. Musgrove are to be commended,” Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummel said in a statement. “His poise and calm demeanor in a scene of chaos and tragedy ultimately saved the life of a beautiful child. … This was a senseless accident that resulted in a life lost, but it would have been two lives had Dave not been there. Still, I offer my thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of the motorcyclist and I ask that you keep this mother and her children in your prayers.”
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A picture is emerging of the suspect who officials say pointed a high-powered rifle at former president Donald Trump on a Florida golf course Sunday afternoon.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was armed with an AK-47-style rifle and was 300-500 yards away from Trump when members of the former president’s Secret Service detail spotted him, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. Routh was a few holes ahead of where the president was golfing at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, officials said.
Members of the Secret Service detail opened fire at Routh, according to law enforcement officials. It’s not clear if Routh fired any shots. Bradshaw said a witness saw a man jumping out of the bushes and fleeing in a black Nissan. The car was pulled over and the driver detained and identified as the suspect. Law enforcement found the rifle, a scope, two backpacks with ceramic tile and a GoPro camera in the bushes at the scene.
The FBI and U.S. Secret Service are investigating the incident, which the FBI said “appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump.”
As the investigation continues, here’s what we know about Routh:
Stephany Matat / AP
A decades-long criminal history
Routh’s most recent address is listed in Hawaii, but he spent most of his life in North Carolina, according to property records. Routh owned Camp Box Honolulu, a shed-building company, according to his LinkedIn profile. The account also says that he studied at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and graduated in 1998.
Records show his problems with the law go back to the 1990s and include less serious charges, like writing bad checks. But in 2002, he was charged with a felony — possession of a weapon of mass destruction — according to North Carolina Department of Corrections records.
Between 2002 and 2010, Routh was also charged with a number of misdemeanors, including a hit-and-run accident, resisting arrest and a concealed weapons violation, records show.
Suspect criticized Trump online
Routh voted Democratic in the 2024 primary election in North Carolina, and he voted in person, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. He appears to be registered as an unaffiliated voter.
His X account, which has now been suspended, included a number of posts about Trump.
“@realDonaldTrump While you were my choice in 2106, I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving,” he wrote in a June 2020 post. “I will be glad when you gone.”
He also referenced the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump in multiple posts, suggesting that President Biden and Vice President Harris should visit the injured and attend the funeral of the Pennsylvania rally-goer who was killed.
A Facebook account under Routh’s name was no longer online on Sunday evening.
Ukraine supporter
Routh was passionate about fighting for Ukraine, even traveling overseas to fight in the country’s war against Russia in 2022.
“I am coming to Ukraine from Hawaii to fight for your kids and families and democracy.. I will come and die for you,” he wrote on X.
In one post on LinkedIn, he shared a photo of himself in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.
A CBS News review of Routh’s social media shows his pro-Ukraine views seeped into his public statements as well. He urged people, even those who didn’t have military skills, to take up arms for Ukraine. He was interviewed by several news organizations, including The New York Times and Semafor in 2023, and Newsweek Romania in 2022. He was quoted about his efforts to recruit volunteer fighters to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, though it wasn’t clear whether he had succeeded.
“This is about good versus evil,” he told Newsweek Romania.
contributed to this report.
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