Kids Screamed as Mom Drove Van into Ocean, Rescuers Say | Nightline | ABC News

you're about to see a potential disaster unfold a pregnant woman with three children in her minivan driving directly into the Atlantic Ocean with one of the kids literally leaning out of the window yelling help us bystanders leap into action with only seconds to prevent a worst-case scenario in all the while there was a camera rolling ABC's Steve osunsami is on the story imagine driving past a beach and see this a car deliberately driving into the ocean well they're saying help and suddenly you're the screams of small children the first day inhale my sniffer believe your eyes that's child waiting out the window what would you do Tim Tessa near didn't hesitate he jumps out of his car to help his wife recording it all and there's one kid in the backseat there's screaming you know help us help us our mom's trying to kill us that's what his family vacation in Daytona Beach Florida turned into a race against time to save three little children from a watery grave all worried about was those kids you know it's all I cared about they were screaming and their outstretched arms and I don't know I just did what come natural I think 21 year old Stacy Robinson was also there pleading with the kids 32 year old mother Eponine Kherson to turn the car around the son was snatching it the we're trying to get her to come back toward the shore we're not lady you got to get out in the water we're just trying to talk to her you know and she looked back at us with this awful blank stare just I've been using the word possessed I hate to use that but that's what it looked like we'll Kate that's all she was saying okay we okay and the Sun was turning on the wheel when I was speaking to her I was like why why they say she just kept driving Stacy never lets go of the car the surf is up to his chest he reaches into the van to get the power windows down and his arms around two of the children ages 9 and 10 my for the son I first attended or an hour came walking out I still don't believe it happened I'm just glad I was there people watching from the shore can't believe their eyes the wave dirt is pounding into the water and down until it submerged while a passing tourists captured it all on video in the middle of the chaos a shocking discovery there was still another child the youngest a three year old still trapped in a car seat in the back lifeguards try to open the front door but it looks like the mother is attempting to stop them watch again there's a struggle and then the mother just walks away seconds later they get the toddler out through the back one of the two lifeguards still inside barely getting out in time watching them carry the kids out of the van was very emotional I mean we were jumping up for joining screaming and for goodness yeah and just 5 seconds later look closely a huge wave that nearly pushes the car out to sea the waves were strong the water was cold they got in the water get him out got him out of there quickly if it'd been minutes longer the probably outcome probably would've been different late today authorities reported Wilkerson is pregnant and that she actually had been in contact with police just hours before the incident her sister called 911 about Wilkerson's potential mental health issues I tried to take her to the hospital yesterday and she signed herself out today she did a little bit better but her she's still not all here so she's trying to drive and I'm trying to stop her and she has her kid cried took her keys she had some crisis but they did not make the criteria to be able to do anything with her at that time a few hours later she would end up here authorities have yet to file any charges but she's currently undergoing mental evaluations her children are all in state custody safe because a few heroes took action in the nick of time y'all are gonna be okay I promise that kid was his arms was outstretched and crying and the look you know he's just begging for help you know that's just something I thought about that all the way I went ahead and drove all the way home last our collective oil Steve osunsami ABC News alternately

Channel: ABC News

Views: 28,744,755

Rating: 4.8880877 out of 5

Keywords: Ocean, Beach, Waves, Sand, Van, Mother, Florida, Crisis, Children, Susan Smith, Steve Osunsami, Nightline, ABC, ABCNews, News, US, ABC News, survival, how to survive, survival stories, survive, caught on tape, accident, death

Id: wcgawK3t1_s

Length: 4min 25sec (265 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 06 2014

Reddit Comments

[u/depressed-onion7567]

Thank god those people rushed into action saving those kids

[u/Yeeters_Bar_An_Grill]

I would knock that woman unconscious if I was there because she only seemed to cause problems and she was trying to kill her children

[u/DexthXndRxbirth]

I'm so glad those kids were saved, but I hope the mother will be able to get the help she needs as some people implied she was mentally ill. It probably will be hard for the kids to live with the fact their mother nearly killed them.

[u/capncaviar]

Please tell me she doesn't have access to them anymore

[u/Miss-Margaret-3000]

That first guy - very well “saved” them all, the bystander affect is a terrifying thing! Real hero’s in this video, every one of them who went into action, especially Terri (neon shirt guy) who went first!

[u/mmolle]

Jesus, I had tears watching that

[u/heheImAMexican]

Holy shit

[u/MRB27]

Holy sh@t

[u/noobgamer9175]

I forget the whole story, but there’s a who YouTube video about this. A woman starting driving into the ocean and didn’t stop, people saw kids yelling for help and started trying to save them. One kid almost drowned, which was the last kid they saved