Caught on tape: Parking poles save little girl from careening car

This is a press release and video courtesy of the Sunnyside Police Department

At approximately 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 20th, 2009, Sunnyside Police Officers were dispatched to the Valley View Market at 107 West Lincoln Ave in Sunnyside.

Officers discovered that a 1990 Toyota Camry, driven by Isabel Hernandez, had struck the market. Investigation showed Hernandez had been parked at the market and had backed up at a high rate of speed.  As Hernandez was backing up, her passenger was attempting to get into the vehicle, leaving the passenger door open. 

The Toyota struck a Ford pickup that was parked next to it, accelerated backwards onto West Lincoln, then backwards into the parking lot of the market.  The Toyota struck a parking pole lifting the rear end of the Toyota off of the ground, struck the market, coming to rest on another parking pole.

Surveillance video from the market showed the Toyota narrowly missed striking a small child who was walking between the parking pole and the building.  Had the parking pole not been there, the child would have been struck by the Toyota. 

Hernandez was found to be driving on a suspended license. She was booked in the Sunnyside Jail for Reckless Driving and Driving While License Suspended 3rd Degree.