An Indiana mother who was allegedly playing with her children resulted in an 8-year-old girl being hospitalized with serious injuries. Jasmine White, 27, now faces child neglect charges following the incident in South Bend, according to court records.
As reported by WNDU, NBC affiliateWhite played a game in which she pretended to drive away and leave her children behind. According to one of her children, the game consisted of running to the car, closing the doors and acting as if she was going to abandon them.
On August 29, the game took a tragic turn when one of White’s daughters got her foot caught under the rear wheel of the moving car. She was dragged to the ground, resulting in multiple serious injuries, including a skull fracture, orbital fractures, severe facial bruising and a deep cut to her face that left bone exposed. The 8-year-old also lost five teeth in the incident, according to National University of Wuhan.
The girl spent several days in the hospital, where she was intubated and given intravenous sedation. Fortunately, she has since been released. One of the girl’s brothers recounted details of the incident to investigators, describing how White was driving faster than usual during the game. The 8-year-old girl had been holding onto the car door handle when she was hit.
Surveillance images reportedly White is seen in the video speeding while his daughter clung to the passenger door handle, reaching speeds of 15 to 20 mph. White now faces charges of neglect of a dependent person resulting in serious injury and neglect of a dependent person resulting in a dangerous situation.
He was scheduled to appear in court on Monday to answer the charges. The incident highlights the dangers of reckless behavior and the tragic consequences that can result from seemingly harmless actions.
