Girl, five, cheats death when drink-driver crashes into her and knocks her through a window
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Girl, five, cheats death when motorist crashes into her – smashing her through a driving school window – but she walks away barely harmed… three months after ANOTHER drink-driver slammed into her car
- CCTV showed the moment the car ran down a motorcyclist and hit Maria Luiza
- Maria was launched through a window and into a row of metal office chairs
- But she somehow avoided major injuries, sustaining just a few superficial cuts
A five-year-old girl has miraculously escaped with nothing but a few cuts after she was smashed through a window by a drunk driver.
Horrifying CCTV footage of the incident from the office of a driving school in Bonito showed the moment a beaten-up, dark hatchback swerved across the road towards little Maria Luiza, who was playing by a potted plant outside.
The car bulldozed through a motorcycle stood outside the office – knocking down its 60-year-old owner – and rammed head-on into the potted plant, blasting it and Maria into the office window which immediately shattered.
More footage taken from inside the office showed the girl flying across the room and into a row of metal chairs due to the force of the collision as the car sprayed debris across the bureau.
Maria is seen playing behind a potted plant, completely unaware of the car hurtling towards her. The motorcyclist hit by the car (left) suffered a suspected broken femur and was taking to hospital complaining of chest pains
With the motorcycle and its owner already on the turf, the car continued into the plant and the girl, smashing them through the window of the office
Maria can be seen a split second before the collision in this image taken from the interior CCTV camera
She was launched into the metal framed chairs while the car sprayed debris across the room
For a moment, it looked as though the worst had happened.
But somehow, Maria sprang straight to her feet and ran into the arms of her father, who himself narrowly avoided being hit by the wayward vehicle just outside.
Maria’s parents own a refrigeration business next door to the driving school and witnessed the terrifying collision firsthand.
‘We had just finished working and went to sit in the front for a little while… it happened so fast,’ Maria’s father said.
‘(Maria) had an X-ray, a CT scan and nothing came out,’ Maria’s mother told Brazilian outlet Globo after her daughter was found to have sustained nothing more than a few minor cuts due to the broken glass.
She went on to deliver an impassioned plea for people to reconsider drinking and driving.
Maria was sent flying across the room and into a metal bench, but popped straight back up to her feet
The girl is seen running to her father outside the office moments after being smashed through the window and across the room
He scoops her up and carries her into the daylight to await emergency services
‘From the moment they drink, they have to know that it is dangerous. I thank God that today she is here with us. I just have to thank you, because it was very difficult,’ she said.
Incredibly, this is not the first time little Maria has experienced such a close call.
Her parents told Globo that just three months ago she was in a car which was rammed by another drunk driver and required 26 stitches to her head.
Firefighters and police officers were called to the scene of the accident which unfolded on Saturday afternoon in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.
The suspect was breathalysed at the scene and was promptly arrested when the test showed he was intoxicated.
A police spokesperson said the suspect probably fell asleep behind the wheel, after the driver claimed he couldn’t remember the event but admitted he had been drinking with friends prior to getting into the driver’s seat.
Maria escaped with minimal injuries, but the 60-year-old motorcyclist caught up in the incident was taken to hospital with chest pains and a suspected broken femur.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.