"All my nightmares happen on 836."
That's what Miami Herald photographer Al Diaz told us during a short phone interview this afternoon. He was referring to the Dolphin Expressway, a major east-west freeway that's notorious for unrelenting traffic jams that try even the kindest soul.
But Thursday afternoon, something deeply human happened on that stretch of road. It was sunny and traffic was snarled. And strangers, including Diaz, helped save a baby who had stopped breathing in the back seat of his aunt's car.
Diaz, a veteran photojournalist, told us he first heard Pamela Rauseo, 37, calling out for help. Then he saw that the infant in her arms was turning blue. He left his car and ran across the highway seeking help.
The Miami Herald reports that "Lucila Godoy, 34, of Miami left her 3-year-old son in her car to help Rauseo revive the unconscious infant, who she said was born prematurely and had respiratory issues."
Godoy pumped the baby's chest, while the aunt breathed into his mouth. Diaz eventually found a police officer who helped with the rescue.
The baby cried. He had come back to life.
But shortly thereafter, he stopped breathing again. That's when Diaz, now that there were many people helping, snapped the amazing picture at the top of this post.
WPLG-TV reports that the baby is now in "critical, but stable condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital."
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