Neighbors dug through bricks and splintered wood to rescue a 4-year-old girl trapped when a front porch roof collapsed in the South Shore neighborhood, authorities said.
The girl was taken in fair-to-serious condition to Comer Children’s Hospital, according to fire officials. Relatives said later that her injuries were minor and that she was smiling in her hospital bed.
The collapse occurred around 5:50 p.m. Monday in the 1600 block of East 74th Place as the girl, an 8-year-old boy and the girl’s mother were on the porch, according to neighbors and fire officials.
“The whole house just came down and I ran off the porch,” the boy, Tyrice Igess, told WGN-TV.
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The mother also made it off the porch, but the little girl was buried in the debris.
“I saw the mama crying and I ran right over there to help get the bricks off the baby,” said Dwania Jackson.
Jalen Wesley said he and another neighbor “hopped between the wood and he was holding it and throwing bricks to grab the girl out.”
“We thought she was dead because she wasn’t saying anything at first and that made us panic even more and rush even more to get her out of there,” Wesley said.
But the girl began crying as she was pulled from the debris.
“She was OK but she was crying,” Tyrice said. “She had tears coming out of her eyes.”