Nanny saves tot in B’klyn miracle
Hit by truck after pushing stroller out of way
It was a holiday miracle — times two. A Brooklyn nanny, after shoving a stroller carrying a 1-year-old baby boy from the path of an oncoming pickup truck, escaped with her life when the vehicle instead plowed into her, authorities and witnesses said Tuesday.
The stroller came to a stop on its side against a row of parked cars, only a few feet from victim Arcellie Muschamp, 52, of Brooklyn, who was left lying on the pavement with one of her UGG boots torn in half by the impact.
The mother of little Rowan Duhaime was hardly surprised to learn of the nanny’s selfless bravery and noted the special bond between Muschamp and her son.
“That is 100% her nature, to put others first,” said Katie Duhaime, 34. “She’s been a part of our family for the past year without question. She’s wonderful, she’s a super-loving nanny . ... I just hope she pulls through. We got so lucky finding her.”
Witness Larry Weissman, 51, told the Daily News that the fast-acting Muschamp saved the baby’s life at around 10:40 a.m. Monday.
“The nanny must have, at the very last minute, pushed the stroller ahead of her,” he said. “We don’t think the pickup truck hit the stroller. It would have gone flying.
“This poor woman, and the baby,” he continued. “Right before Christmas. Two families. I was just thinking about them.”
Duhaime’s husband, Patrick Mullen, set up a GoFundMe for the ailing nanny.
“Our son Rowan was amazingly unscathed in the incident and based on eyewitness accounts Celi helped save him from almost-certain serious injury or death by pushing his stroller out of harm’s way as the vehicle approached. The doctors have called it a miracle and Celi is truly our hero,” he wrote.
The longtime nanny was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Brooklyn Methodist, where she was recovering in the intensive care unit after successful brain surgery, said her daughter Rahzel Muschamp, 22.
The daughter said her mom, now a U.S. citizen, immigrated to New York from Belize in the 1990s and spent the past two decades working as a nanny. Muschamp, a mother of two, is a well-loved figure in the Park Slope area.
“The driver was completely at fault,” said Razhel Muschamp. “The driver failed to yield. He wasn’t supposed to make that turn.”
The accident occurred at Union St. and Fifth Ave., police said. The 68-year-old driver remained at the scene after the near-deadly crash, with no charges immediately filed.
“Please keep on praying for my lovely sis Arcellie Marina Muschamp,” her brother Tito posted on Facebook from his home in Belize. “She is also a hero for saving the little baby’s life she was in care of.”
Weissman was on the sidewalk after just crossing the street when he heard the crash as the nanny was bringing Rowan home for his morning nap.
“I just heard a loud thump,” he recounted. “Something loud and bad. I turned around and I saw an enormous silver pickup truck with a woman on her back in the street. The pickup truck was partially over her body.”
Weissman then heard the boy crying and ran toward the stroller. To his relief the baby was unharmed. The truck driver sat paralyzed behind the wheel.
“In hindsight, he was in shock,” said Weissman. “That’s why he didn’t get out of the [truck]. But there’s a baby involved, and he wasn’t getting out of the truck, and I was like, ‘What the f—-?’ ”
The Good Samaritan recalled the baby was crying but otherwise fine. He claimed the driver was speeding before the accident.
“He was clearly driving too fast,” he said. “He was speeding. Just the sound of it. He was not doing 20 mph.”