A mother from La Habra, California, was involved in a bizarre accident. In a video that has since gone viral on Instagram, Jacqueline Hernandez, 35, was driving her black SUV and turning at an intersection in Fullerton when, suddenly, her 19-month-old child fell out of the passenger seat.
Parental negligence is always taken with the utmost seriousness by legal authorities, and Hernandez’s case was no different. The Fullerton Police Department arrested Hernandez, and she is now facing charges as the investigation continues. The department shared with the press that the incident occurred between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Jan. 20, and that no 911 call was made. Authorities only became aware of the incident after a dashcam clip went viral online.
Initially, police were unsure of the mother’s identity or whether the child had been injured, as the video was shot from the side of the SUV. It wasn’t until Jan. 24, on Saturday morning, when a witness came forward and reported what they saw that police were able to identify Hernandez.
First and foremost, while the child was injured, they were taken to the hospital and, according to police, a full recovery is expected. This doesn’t always happen. In Maine, a father is alleged to have dropped his child inside his residence, resulting in the death of his 12-week-old daughter. So this is, in many ways, the best-case scenario in a situation like this. What remains is the question of whether this was a serious case of negligence deserving of Hernandez having the book thrown at her.
KOLN was able to interview an anonymous man familiar with Hernandez’s family to get his perspective. He said, “I think it was just an accident. She’s very involved with her kids. I think, to be honest, she was probably just in a hurry and didn’t pay attention enough — trying to go pick up one of the other kids or something.” He added, “It’s a very wonderful family, to be honest with you. And they love the kids.”
Still, prosecutors are expected to follow through with the felony child abuse charges to the extent their professional judgment deems appropriate. Depending on what investigators uncover, Hernandez may be able to strike a deal and avoid jail time — especially if more members of her community come forward to vouch for her. There are, of course, bad parents who actually mean harm to their children, and seeing graphic footage like this understandably makes people uneasy. Now, the responsibility falls on authorities to determine whether this was a tragic accident or something more serious.
In the comments section of the Instagram clip, some believe she deserves a second chance. Others are calling for consequences, with one of the most scathing comments reading, “This is clearly negligence. The baby falls out of the front seat, which it should NEVER have been in. Then, the only way the baby can fall out is if it’s NOT in a car seat. Clearly negligence. They need to take her kid away before it tragically gets ended. F that mom. Terrible parenting. Someone find the father, hopefully he’s a better parent.”
