Mother is accused of DUI in Lancaster crash that hurt 6 children
A 2-year-old boy lost his foot and a 4-year-old girl suffered major head injuries when their allegedly intoxicated mother overturned the sport utility vehicle she was driving near Lancaster early Sunday.
Four other children suffered mild to moderate injuries in the 6:15 a.m. accident, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Stanesha Nicole Allen, 31, of Lake Los Angeles was driving a 2002 Toyota Sequoia when she drifted off Avenue I, a two-lane paved road, and lost control of the car, according to CHP Sgt. Denise Joslin. Allen had attended a wedding the night before, picked up her children from a caretaker that morning and was on her way home when the crash occurred, Officer Joshua Wupperfeld said at a news conference Sunday.
“These are six innocent children,” Wupperfeld said. “They were harmed because of somebody’s selfish mistake.”
The two critically injured children were airlifted to Antelope Valley Hospital, while Allen and the others were taken there by ambulance. Allen, who had moderate injuries, faces charges of drunken driving and child endangerment, according to KABC-TV.
Three of the children were Allen’s, two were foster children and one was a niece, Wupperfeld said.
He said officers who arrived at the scene found the SUV on its side; TV news reports showed toy cars, a ball and a boy’s small blue shoe scattered in the nearby grass. Allen had removed some of the children from the vehicle, but her foster son’s foot had already been amputated in the crash, Wupperfeld said.
It was unclear how fast Allen was driving.
It was also unclear whether the children had been strapped into car seats with safety belts.
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