It was a scary afternoon for one family after learning their 2-year-old son got out of daycare and was wandering on the highway alone.
The toddler found his way to the front door of It's a Small World Childcare Center in Gallatin on Friday morning.
"They have a green button installed, a push button. He pushed it and just walked clean out. I don't know if he tried to get back in, and at that point the door locks on it's own," said the father.
The father didn't want to be on camera pending an active investigation, but he said the toddler walked out of the daycare around 9 a.m. Friday.
"His life could have been taken, kidnapped, all the bad thoughts go through your head as a parent," said the father.
A driver spotted the child on Highway 31, and stopped traffic to get him off the road. The good Samaritan brought him back to the childcare center, and that's when someone at the daycare called the department of children's services.
But no one ever contacted the parents.
"That's the main problem that we're having here, that nobody was notified. Not me, not the mother, not the grandmother," he said.
Though the parents were never contacted, they're thankful for the good Samaritan that brought the 2-year-old to safety.
"I want him to know that I appreciate it, and I feel like I owe him my life," said the father.
Now the family has been hoping this situation brings about change to the childcare center.
"I just want the daycare, along with the teachers, if you learn from it," said the father.
The parents are hoping to find the good Samaritan to thank him for bringing their child back to safety.
It's a Small World Childcare Center is closed on Saturdays and was not able to comment.
