Meet Britain’s toughest baby Brooke Butler who stunned her parents when she survived a horrific car crash and was found on the back seat – LAUGHING.
Dad Tom Butler, 25, was driving home when he turned the wheel too sharply as he veered to avoid a pheasant.
The family’s V-reg Rover 400 then toppled onto its side as it careered across the road before hitting a grass verge and falling back onto all four wheels.
Incredibly, 10-month-old baby Brooke – who was strapped in to her £40 car seat in the back of the car – was completely unharmed and didn’t have a single scratch on her.
And instead of crying as she was hauled out of the smashed up car, she burst into fits of giggles as her panicking parents tried to escape the wreckage.
Paramedics and firefighters rushed to the scene and cut Tom’s fiancee Kirsty Hobley, 20, free from the vehicle following the crash on May 2.
The young family were rushed to Warwick Hospital but were discharged that night and full-time mum Kirsty is now recovering from her cuts and bruises.
Tom said: “We came to the crest of a hill, and as soon as we go to the crest our headlights picked up a pheasant.
“Of course I was always told to hit the things but instinct took over and when I saw those eyes I turned the wheel. Being a new driver I turned it too sharply.
“It went up on the driver’s side which is the side my daughter was on in the back.
“The car righted itself but I couldn’t open my door so climbed out of the window and managed to yank the back door open.
“I got my daughter out and as soon as I picked her up she started giggling. It shocked me completely.
“Even with her laughing I still wanted Brooke checked over and everything, in case of anything internal.
“But she was completely unharmed and even fell asleep on the way to the hospital in the ambulance.
“We spent #40 on a car seat and it is the best £40 I have ever spent in my life.
“It definitely saved our daughter’s life.”
The family were driving back from Banbury, Oxon., to their home in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks., at 50mph when they crashed on the A422 near the village of Pillerton Priors.
A passerby stopped to help and took baby Brooke off Tom so he could dial 999 to get help for Kirsty who was stuck in the vehicle.
And yesterday, the self-employed dad said the family were lucky their daughter’s car seat was strapped in because the car rolled onto its side.
Tom, who runs a computer repair shop with his brother, added: “We were very, very lucky.
“Even if you are just popping to the shops for a two-minute drive, all it takes is 30 seconds to check.
“Make sure they are strapped in because you never know what might happen.
“And if you do see an animal in the road, although you probably feel guilty, it is better to hit the animal than avoid it. Hit the animal and feel guilty afterwards.”
A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed two ambulances, a rapid response vehicle and a paramedic area support officer attended the scene.
They said: “Crews were called to a single vehicle road traffic collision. On arrival at the scene, crews found a car that was facing the wrong direction on the carriageway.
“The driver, a man in his 20’s, was treated for a chest injury believed to have been caused by the seat belt.
“The front seat passenger, a woman in her 20’s, had sustained neck, back and leg injuries.
“Due to the nature of her injuries the woman was fully immobilised and extricated from the vehicle, with the assistance of the fire service.
“A baby, who was restrained in a child seat in the rear of the vehicle, was assessed at the scene and fortunately had sustained no obvious injuries.
“All three occupants of the car were conveyed to Warwick Hospital for further assessment and treatment.”
