‘Without God, he wouldn’t be here’: SUV crashes into home nursery; miraculously, baby unharmed

PLEASANT VALLEY, Ore. (KPTV/Gray News) - An SUV crashed into a baby’s nursery in a Portland-area neighborhood on Monday, narrowly missing a mother and her infant.

Brothers Cesar and Jovanny Fuerte said their mother was gardening Monday afternoon outside their home. Their 6-month-old brother, Jorge Daniel, began crying, so she picked him up from the nursery.

Moments later, the crash happened.

“I just heard a loud boom and tires screeching,” Cesar Fuerte said.

According to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, the driver of a black SUV, a 47-year-old woman, veered off the road and slammed through the family’s fence and into the home where the baby’s nursery was located.

Investigators said the woman was trying to pass a truck towing a trailer in a no-passing zone when she saw an oncoming vehicle. She tried to merge back but then clipped the truck and trailer, lost control, and crashed into an embankment before the Fuerte home.

No one was seriously injured in the crash. The driver was taken to a hospital for evaluation. Investigators said the woman did not show any signs of impairment.

The sheriff’s office said the driver is expected to face criminal citations for reckless driving and three counts of recklessly endangering another person.

The Fuerte brothers said crashes are common in the area, often because of speeding drivers.

“A lot of people lose control,” Cesar Fuerte said. “Usually, they hit power lines all the time. We lose our power constantly.”

The crash left major damage to the family home, mainly the baby’s nursery and the living room area.

The family of eight believes the crash was a moment of divine grace. Just above the area where the SUV struck the nursery, a cross hanging on the wall remained untouched.

Cesar and Jovanny Fuerte said their mother moving the baby out of the room moments before the crash likely saved his life.

“He’s untouched. It’s insane,” Cesar Fuerte said.

Jovanny Fuerte added, “Without God, he [the baby] wouldn’t be here right now.”

The Fuerte family has launched an online fundraiser to help cover expenses as they cannot stay in the home until it is repaired.