A one-year-old boy is critically ill in hospital following a horrific accident when a 40ft metal post toppled onto his pram, slicing it in half.
A 62-year-old woman was also injured, suffering spinal damage when she was trapped under the post. She is not related to the baby, who was being cared for by a man who was unhurt in the accident.
The incident happened near Chiswick Town Hall, in London, and an investigation is underway to discover if nearby roadworks had weakened the base of the lamppost, causing it to fall.
One witness, Nora Correa, described the tragedy. "It was awful. The pram was completely crushed by the impact and the wheels had been sheared off. It was a miracle the baby was not killed."
"At first he was not breathing, a woman was doing CPR. He was so pale and his eyes were closed. Eventually he started breathing. "
Ms Correa continued "The man was standing beside the little boy shaking, he tried to touch him but a policeman stopped him. The police brought a woman to the scene very quickly. She seemed to be the mother and she was extremely upset."
A spokeswoman for Hounslow Council confirmed that roadworks were being carried out, although there were no contractors on the site at the time of the accident.
She added, "This is an awful tragedy and our heartfelt sympathies go out to the injured and all their families."
The baby was taken by air ambulance to Royal London Hospital, his condition is described as critical, but stable.
Sometimes it seems there are roadworks on nearly every major city street. Do you think enough consideration is given to the safety of pedestrians?