Reader comments
Mother, daughter charged in fatality after letting teen get behind wheel

Anon | 10:45 a.m. June 4, 2008

Just so sad.

m | 10:52 a.m. June 4, 2008

Very sad indeed. What was that woman thinking letting a 14 year old drive. They will forever have the burden of knowing that they took a life with their stupidity and I am sure the mother will suffer severe consequences for it as well. My sympathy to both families.

Stunned | 11:13 a.m. June 4, 2008

Did I read that right?! She left her daughter with the dead toddler and RAN FROM THE SCENE?? Unbelievable!!!

Comments continue below

Flibbermajibit | 11:13 a.m. June 4, 2008

That is horrible.

uncannygunman | 11:23 a.m. June 4, 2008

Manslaughter seems like a pretty high charge for this sort of incident, negligent homicide (at most) seems more appropriate. I hope there are facts to support the manslaughter charge and it is not just punishment for failure to cooperate.

Say what??? | 11:45 a.m. June 4, 2008

What a great mom to leave the scene when she had already broken the law letting her 14 year old drive. Guess she was one of those who was hoping for her daughter to take the wrap thinking she would only get a slap on the wrist and told no, no, because she was underage.

At the very least .... great parenting at it's very best!!

anothermomof14yearold | 11:54 a.m. June 4, 2008

I see mom's all over our area letting their 14 year-olds drive. Maybe this will remind all of them why we wait until 16! Stop trying to be the "cool" moms! Let's be more responsible. May all those involved find comfort and peace in this horrible trying time!

Anonymous | 11:55 a.m. June 4, 2008

So she wanted to play cool with her daughter but when it was time to step up for her, she ran away. It really doesn't make sense to me. A mother would burn herself just to protect her children. No sense at all.

*Pixie* | 12:05 p.m. June 4, 2008

She's probably young, and didn't know better. The sad part is now that her name is known, everyone will know who the 14 yr. old is. And she doesn't deserve the dirty looks, etc. that will eventually come her way. Her Mother was completely in the wrong. The daughter...not so much. I feel sorry for her, just as much as I do for the parents of the baby.

They both broke the law | 12:22 p.m. June 4, 2008

Yes, it's sad and the mother's actions are reprehensible, but the daughter, while I feel sorry for her, did break the law. And they do know better. There are a lot of reasons the legal age to drive in 16. Everyone in the day and age wants to push the envelope. When laws are broken there are consequences. This one just happens to be tragic. And no. the charges against the mother are not too harsh. She deserves it for leaving the scene.

Sad | 1:31 p.m. June 4, 2008

SAD STORY. Parents need to watch their children. They cannot watch themselves. Truly heartbreaking.

To the family | 1:48 p.m. June 4, 2008

How tragic. What can we say but to extend our heartfelt and deepest remorse? To the parents. This was a tragic act of a mother who wanted her 14 year old daughter to drive, but that ended in a horrible accident. How does one replace a lost life like that? How tragic that an otherwise lesser act of irresponsibility turned into a fatality. I can't imagine the guilt I'd feel to be a person in that situation. It's shocking that one would run from an accident like that. I pray that whatever healing needs to occur will. In the case of those who lost their child I can only extend my deepest sentiments of sympathies.

re: Uncanny | 2:44 p.m. June 4, 2008

The primary difference between the two is that in manslaughter she was reckless versus being negligent. To me, it would be negligent if her daughter had a history of taking her car without permission and she did nothing to prevent it. It is reckless if she is out in the car with her and encouraging her to break the law. The facts seem to fit the charges.

magnus | 3:28 p.m. June 4, 2008

@ RE: Uncanny

In this case I think the difference between "negligent" and "reckless" has less to do with the actual crime and more to do with the extenuating circumstances of the crime.

If the woman had stayed at the scene and owned up to the mistake and done what 90% of other thinking caring human beings would do the charge would have probably been Negligent Homicide, but she didn't, and her actions after the actual crime were despicable, so Manslaughter is the charge.

My prayers go out to both families. I honestly can't imagine...

Wondering | 4:06 p.m. June 4, 2008

Was the mother (who allowed her daughter to drive) tested for drugs/alcohol? There has to be more to this story than is being told.

Wondering | 4:18 p.m. June 4, 2008

Could the mom have run because she perhaps is in the country illegally? Might make some more sense that way.

Ken | 4:21 p.m. June 4, 2008

What about moms and dads who let their 5-16yr. olds drive 4 wheelers, motorcycles, race cars and any other contraption?

Anonymous | 4:35 p.m. June 4, 2008

No kidding. I live in an townhome complex and everyday I have to deal with 5 to 9 yo kids driving 4 wheelers in the parking lot and they don't go any slow ! Parents' excuse is they don't have any other place to do it but if that's the case, teach them to drive properly. Every time when I have to pull my car out of the garage, I have one of my family looking for me if one of the kids are coming around. I still remember once when I was pulling my car out and I don't know how in the name of heaven could see a todler crawling on the paviment of the parking lot just behind the car. A neighbor took him to his mother who was at her home clueless about what happened. To this day, I still shake when I think about it.

re:Wondering 4:18 | 4:42 p.m. June 4, 2008

Would you rather her last name be Smith, Jones or Stevens???

Could you be any more insensitive and racist?

A child is dead.

You have to make sense of it, why???

Being a bigot is no way to help the situation.

re:wondering 4:18 | 5:39 p.m. June 4, 2008

My husband is in law enforcement and more times then not when a crime is committed by an illegal alien they run! Remember the SLC police officer hit and killed on his bike years ago? They let the illegal alien out of jail because of the outcry of racism and what did he do? He ran! Actions by this mother bring questions immediately. There is nothing of being a bigot when you have seen this type of behavior time and time again and you are trying to make sense of a horrible accident. Call it profiling call if being a bigot call it racism if you want. It's a tragedy and yes, most people try to make sense of something that is so horrible. It's normal. We are heart broken that a little child died.

I agree | 6:14 p.m. June 4, 2008

I agree with re:wondering 4:18! We see it all the time down here along the border. If there is an accident, the illegals run. In Mexico, if you are involved in an accident, things are NOT nice for you, or not unless you have la mordita! So, trained in that behavior in that culture, people run when they are involved in accidents in this country. In addition, we see unlicensed and uninsured drivers (and often stolen cars loaded with either drugs or illegals) being involved in many, often fatal, accidents down here. It's a serious problem and has nothing to do with being racist--my husband's grandparents were from Mexico!

FYI | 6:17 p.m. June 4, 2008

To those reminding everyone that the legal age to drive is 16: actually it is 15 with a parent/guardian in the passenger seat and a learner's permit.

so sorry | 6:24 p.m. June 4, 2008

that a little child had to die. But, how dumb can a parent be to allow a child to drive a vehicle as big as an SUV. The girl probably couldn't even see over the dash board. How stupid!! and then for the mother to run away from the scene - scared or not to leave your kid to take the heat - just plain stupid! And the girl should also get some sort of discipline in this cause I'm sure she knew full well she never should have been behind the wheel of that SUV. Now alot have to suffer. But one question why would the little girl's family try to hide the truth- their kid died.

Anonymous | 6:33 p.m. June 4, 2008

Why would race need to be even mentioned, the majority of crimes commited in my neighborhood were by white people, legal cititzens, and lived off the government to boot.

re: so sorry | 6:54 p.m. June 4, 2008

wasn't too bright of the toddler's guardian to allow an unsupervised toddler to play in the driveway either...

No Excuse | 7:16 p.m. June 4, 2008

I wouldn't care if the whole United States was after her and she was illegal, or anything etc.

Running FROM A CHILD is wrong. Nothing can excuse it and Justice will be served after this lady dies if it isn't served here.

SHE RAN FROM A CHILD. She killed the child by her actions and she taught her daughter that running was acceptable. The daughter ought to have therapy for 2 years and guidance for 10 into a normal life with responsibility and basic human values.

The mother ought to be in prison for a long time. Race has nothing to do with it and we don't even know what race she is.

Being Mexican, Black, White, Asian, or anything else DOES NOT EXCUSE LEAVING A CHILD FOR DEAD!!

I'm usually the most passive person and I'm probably the least vengeful person most people ever meet. I think most of our laws are getting to "guilty until proven innocent" and I think our justice system is falling apart, but on this issue, the law should be swift to teach the daughter the biggest lesson of her life and to have mommy pay justice.

I feel for the parents.

kahunatic | 7:56 p.m. June 4, 2008

what a sad sad tragic incident.

re: re: so sorry | 9:07 p.m. June 4, 2008

common, kids are active,they take off, how on earth can you make the driver a victim? i am sure if she followed all the rules from drivers safety she would have circled the car and made sure no one person or objects were present. i think they call it the "circle of safety" either way no excuse. too bad they dont have the death penalty for things like this. i dont think i would want to live after killing a toddler because i wanted to be cool.

Rural Area? | 12:06 a.m. June 5, 2008

I don't know if anyone on here is from or has been to duschene county but it is a pretty rural area mostly made up of small farming and mining towns. I grew up in a similar area and started learning how to drive farm equipment at age 8 and drove it regularly by age 10 which included our old farm truck which by age 14 I drove all over the county and it was a clutch and i'm sure a whole lot harder to drive then any SUV. And although I never got one I know in alot of rural places you can get a permit to drive at 14 for farm businness. So yes this is a Tragic Accident but i don't think people should jump to conclusions without knowing exactly what the circumstances were because a 14 year old driver wouldn't have been that uncommon where I'm from and a parent may have not present at all which could be the case here and it could be a case of a mother trying to cover for her daughter gone wrong, but like i said we don't know all the facts!!! My heart goes out to all involved!

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