Girl Dies in Crash; Mom Apparently Asleep

An 8-year-old girl sleeping in the back seat of her mother’s car was ejected and killed Monday morning after the woman apparently fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a concrete divider on the Golden State Freeway in Sun Valley, authorities said.

Debra Spratt, 33, of Burbank, was driving south on the freeway when she lost control of her 1990 Honda about 4:05 a.m. near Roscoe Boulevard, California Highway Patrol Officer Francisco Villalobos said. The girl, whose name was not released, was not wearing a seat belt, the CHP said.

“It seems to be a simple case of falling asleep at the wheel with tragic consequences,” CHP Officer Vince Bell said of the single-car crash.

“But it probably could have been avoided if the child was restrained.”

Spratt, who was unhurt, was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Bell said. The mother and daughter were the only people in the car. It was unknown where they were coming from or going to at that hour, Bell said.

Although Spratt could face a misdemeanor criminal charge, Bell said, the CHP was not going to recommend that to the Los Angeles district attorney.

“That would be pointless after what she’s going through now,” he said.