AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) – Police officers found an injured toddler in the middle of the road early Saturday morning after they received a call from a driver.
“The person who called it in was driving and said she swerved and thought she hit the little girl. She did what she was supposed to do and immediately called 911,” Aurora Police Department’s Matthew Longshore said.
Around 3:45 a.m., APD sent out a message asking for anyone who recognized the young girl that they had found in the middle of South Chambers Road near East Ohio Avenue.
“This could have been a lot worse,” Longshore said. “The girl woke up and wandered out of the house, no fault of the parents, they had no clue she left.”
Someone who saw the photos and recognized the toddler contacted authorities and she was reunited with her parents around 7 a.m.
The injuries that she sustained were reportedly minor and officials with APD have made it clear that this was not a hit-and-run.
APD said that the girl was likely able to leave the house while everyone else was sleeping. They want to use this opportunity to make sure that you lock your doors at night.
“I can’t imagine waking up and finding out my toddler is gone or possibly injured,” Agent Longshore said. “This is an example of why it’s extremely important to lock our doors and even install locks out of the reach of curious toddlers.”
APD also suggested an alarm system on doors that alert parents when they are opened and to start talking with kids at a young age about not leaving home without a parent.
If you have any information in regards to this incident, please reach out to the Aurora Police Department.