The youngest survivor of the mudslide, Duke Saddarth, is improving at an area hospital.
He was breathing on his own and listed in serious condition in ICU. The 22 week-old infant was pulled from the debris by good Samaritans who heard him crying.
Kody Wesson was driving on Highway 530 last Saturday when the slide hit. He ignored the order from a state trooper and climbed onto the debris to search for the child.
"You gotta help 'em. How can you not? What are you supposed to do, you can't just stand there and watch," said Wesson.
Once he spotted the baby, the trooper and other witnesses joined him in the rescue. "I could see the baby's face. It was all bruised up," said Wesson. The baby’s mother, Amanda Skorjanc was nearby, but her legs were broken so they waited for help.
"She said his name was Duke. I asked if I could take him out of there," added Wesson.
Wesson wrapped the baby in his coat and carefully carried him. Other men, including Paulo Falcao, helped make a path through the debris. "Something positive from the mudslide, a six-month-old baby. So precious," said Falcao.
The men also realized if they had been driving on that stretch of Highway 530 seconds earlier, they would have likely been killed by the mudslide. "Thirty more seconds, I'd be gone," said Falcao.
Amanda Skorjanc was listed in satisfactory condition at the hospital on Friday night.
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