Toddler found in traffic is safe thanks to quick-thinking guardian angel: ‘Thank God I was there’

By Jon Burkett , WTVR CBS 6 Web Staff

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    CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Virginia (WTVR) — A toddler found wandering in traffic on Route 10 in Chester is safe thanks to a quick-thinking guardian angel who intervened to prevent a potential tragedy.

“I stopped at the intersection of West Hundred and I see kids standing at the bus stop, and they’re gazing behind me,” LaToya Parham recalled about what happened around 10 a.m. on Friday. “So I look in my rear-view mirror and I see a toddler in the middle of the intersection.”

Parham said her heart raced as she quickly put her car in park and jumped out to get the 3-year-old.

“And he has a toy in his hand and he’s just walking in between cars,” Parham said. “You know, my heart dropped.”

Chesterfield Police were called, and through their investigation, determined the child came from a nearby daycare called Fortress of God Childcare at the intersection of West Hundred and Harrowgate Roads.

“The oncoming traffic had stopped at a light, but they just started to move and they couldn’t see him,” Parham said. “He was so tiny they couldn’t see him, but once they saw me, they were able to stop.”

Officers said the boy, who was not wearing a coat, had only been outside a few minutes and was not injured.

Parham believes fate and her faith are why this boy’s journey came to the best conclusion possible.

“I think God put me in that place,” Parham said. “I would not have been there had it not been for the snow and the two-hour delay. My kids probably would have been off at school. I was actually running a little behind, so I had to drop my son off. I just thank God I was there.”

The child was found along the 4300 block of West Hundred Road in the area between the child care center and pizza shop on the other side of the road, according to police.

The daycare has several doors all around the building. According to state licensing records, the center can watch up to 42 children — from newborns to 7-year-olds.

CBS 6 tried to call multiple numbers listed outside the daycare to try to speak to someone, but we have not yet heard back. We also tried to talk to the administrator at the daycare, but she asked us to get off the property.

Police said their investigation into the incident is ongoing and that officers have reached out to the Fire Marshal’s Office and the Office of Child Care Health and Safety.

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