Baby fights for his life after DUI crash that cops say was preventable
BROWNSVILLE, N.Y. (PIX11) — He’s just one year old and is fighting for his life after being the victim of a car crash that investigators say could have easily been prevented.
The driver of the car in which the baby was riding faces drunk driving charges, among other infractions. Also, the car’s passenger — the mother of the one-year-old — apparently had the child in her lap when the collision took place, according to law enforcement sources.
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Now, the baby tries to recover from a fractured skull that happened when the car in which he was riding hit another in an intense crash.
In fact, the impact of the Monday evening collision was so great that it collapsed a wrought iron fence that the two cars rammed through. On Tuesday, the fence still had yellow caution tape wrapped around it from the crash that had happened at around 7:00 the evening before.
It was at Mother Gaston Boulevard and Dumont Avenue. That’s where, according to police, the Honda Accord driven by Natalie Leonard, 28, blew through a red light, and crashed into an Acura, which was in the intersection, and had had a green light.
In the Accord’s passenger seat, according to investigators, was a 21-year-old mother, who held her one-year-old son in her lap.
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The crash left the boy bleeding from his ears, mouth, and nose — indications of significant trauma. Medics rushed him to Brookdale Hospital, where he’s reported to be in critical condition, but stable.
In the neighborhood where the crash happened, many residents expressed concern for the child.
“It’s a devastating thing for the baby,” said Virginia Kelly, who lives nearby. “Prayer that the baby makes it through,” she said.
Many local residents reacted to details of the crash, including the list of charges that alleged driver Natalie Leonard faces. It includes: DUI; DWI; reckless endangerment; vehicular assault; acting in manner injurious to a child; disobeying a steady red light; reckless driving; aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle; operating a motor vehicle without insurance; and operating an unregistered vehicle.
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The strongest reaction, though, was concern for the baby.
“Very sad,” said Diana Davis, who lives near the intersection. “There wasn’t a seatbelt or anything?”
The baby’s mother was charged with not using a seatbelt.
Other people who live nearby said that they wished that one other thing had been different.
“The baby should’ve been in a car seat,” said Sharon Fulmore. “Point blank to the period, a car seat.”
The child’s mother is now at the hospital with him, trying to ensure that the child survives this crash.
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