News Pennsylvania woman gets 3-6 years in prison

[Lenae]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/1...dren-killed-in-100-mph-crash/?intcmp=obinsite

Her 5yo and two 2yo grandchildren weren't properly restrained and died in the accident. She's been found guilty of vehicular homicide and now faces prison.

 

[Kac]

Those poor kids. 100mph?! That is just ridiculous.

 

[Phineasmama]

I'm sure she's devastated at losing her grand kids but I agree she should be in jail. You shouldn't be able to do something that stupid/negligent and get away with it!! What did they mean that she was driving away from another accident- like a hit and run?

 

[Baylor]

I know I might get creamed for this but I am not sure this is completely her own liability. The driving yes, The kids not being properly restrained? That could be how they rode with parents all the time. So it may have been no big deal for her to toss them in the car like the parents did.

That being said, I just am not sure I feel jail is the answer. Well not completely. I would rather see 1 yr jail. 5 years mandatory community service telling her story and making sure people don't drive around with kids not properly restrained.

It is so sad.

 

[Phineasmama]

I agree the parents are probably to blame too. But we don't know what they mean by improperly restrained. It could mean that they were in there with only seat belts, or nothing at all. There is no excuse for that. We do have laws in this country about car seats and people are aware of that, even if they have no idea about best practice. I highly doubt she didn't know she was doing anything wrong. But there are too few details really to know anything.

 

[Baylor]

I wish there was more info. I will research local papers.

 

[Baylor]

"Hatfield' attorney said that mother of 10, who is battling cancer, thought the children were properly buckled up in the car before the crash. "

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...killed-young-grandchildren.html#ixzz2FWwzfVdF
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

I don't know what that means. My guess is that they were buckled in the back. That article also has pics of the kids..


ETA: She was fleeing a minor accident and methadone was found in the car.
http://www.abc27.com/story/16323574/duncannon-woman-charged-in-crash-that-killed-3-grandchildren

 

[Stelvis]

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/in..._county_grandmother_faces.html?mobRedir=false

She is not really a model of responsibility in other areas of her life either.

The town/county she is from is sort of considered a backwater. It is an area where I would expect car seat usage is probably below average to begin with. Not that that's an excuse.

 

[Stelvis]

Also, in PA, you can't really be prosecuted for improperly restraining children, nor can your insurance rates go up because of it. It's a $100 fine and that is it. It's a big stupid loophole. So she isn't going to jail because of their being improperly restrained, but rather for the risky driving that caused the crash.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/in...y_experts_would_like_to_s.html?mobRedir=false

 

[snowbird25ca]

I know I might get creamed for this but I am not sure this is completely her own liability. The driving yes, The kids not being properly restrained? That could be how they rode with parents all the time. So it may have been no big deal for her to toss them in the car like the parents did.

That being said, I just am not sure I feel jail is the answer. Well not completely. I would rather see 1 yr jail. 5 years mandatory community service telling her story and making sure people don't drive around with kids not properly restrained.

It is so sad.

I have heard grandparents say things when they are shopping for a seat to use in their vehicle with their own grandkids... that they're only buying because the parent says they have to and they think that carseats are a load of hooey and just a way for the government to make money. I actually got riled at a grandma/grandpa one day at work after trying to patiently explain the reason we have carseat laws and why they are important - and they just got off on a rant about how the federal government makes money from it and it was nonsense blah-blah-blah... I told them that it was their grandkid's life they were risking and they had to live with themselves and then left them alone. I was mad beyond words by how truly uncaring they were. Most people care... these grandparents didn't. They were genuinely annoyed at having to use a seat in the first place.

So all this to say - how parents restrain their kids does not translate to what others do... and for all we know, the grandparents may *say* they were doing something just to get the parents to let them have a visit - and then do their own thing anyways.

The only thing I don't get is the son and the rest of the family pleading to have the grandmother let off easier. If my kids died because of gross negligence, I would be quite happy to help the attorneys throw the book at the person responsible, whether it was family or not. What kind of family puts your own kids lives at risk to begin with? Not the kind of family I'd be wanting to defend after my 3 kids had been killed due to their negligence... There's just no excuse.