California Woman Arrested on Felony Child Abuse After 19-Month-Old Baby Tumbles Out of SUV

A defenseless toddler was almost run over — twice — after the child tumbled out of an SUV when the car door suddenly flew open.

According to Fullerton, Calif., police, the vehicle was making a turn when the front passenger door opened and a 19-month-old baby fell onto the roadway. The mom, who’s been identified as Jacqueline Hernandez, 35, of La Habra, Calif., then stopped short, nearly causing the car behind her to rear-end her, per New York Post.

A video released by police shows another car almost running over the tyke, but its driver managed to slam on the brakes just feet away from the baby.

Hernandez is then seen running around to the passenger side to pick up the child.

Police were only alerted to the incident when a witness came forward and reported it. The information enabled them to identify the mother. Hernandez was then arrested on suspicion of felony child abuse, the Fullerton police said in a statement.

The toddler was injured in the fall but was expected to make a full recovery after being treated at a hospital.

“Why was the baby in the front seat, and not in a car seat in the back buckled up,” asked one commenter on Instagram.

Under California law, children under 2 need to be placed in a rear-facing car seat, and until age 8, children must ride in the back seat.

“This made me sick to my stomach,” another viewer commented on Instagram. “So happy the baby will make a full recovery.”