Teen found guilty in crash that killed toddler
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- A jury found a 16-year-old girl guilty of vehicular homicide Tuesday in a crash that left a 2-year-old girl dead and her mother injured.
The teen faces anywhere from three to nine months in jail when sentenced for the September 2010 crash that killed Anna Marie Brulotte.
The toddler was hit while crossing the street with her mother and her two siblings, a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old, on Cornwall Avenue near Assumption Catholic School. A car had stopped to let them cross, but that car was rear-ended by the teen's car, detectives said.
The impact of the crash caused the stopped car to accelerate forward and strike the toddler and her mother, who was holding her hand. The toddler sustained a crushing skull injury and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The mother hit her head on the windshield of the hit car, and was thrown to the pavement. The woman was taken to St. Joseph Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The two other children were not hurt.
Detectives said the teen driver, who was with two friends at the time, was distracted as she'd just asked her passenger to find something in her backpack.
The driver was "looking at the backpack (on the front passenger seat along with her friend) and was indicating where the item was in the backpack" when she crashed, according to the statement of probable cause.
Investigators determined the teen driver was traveling at a speed of 32 mph when she crashed and didn't take any evasive action nor hit the brakes prior to the crash.
"There was inattention for a great period of time -- the court indicated up to 10 seconds," prosecuting attorney Dave McEachran said Tuesday. "And you just cannot do that and operate a vehicle and do it within the law."
Defense attorneys countered the teenager might have looked away for 2 or 3 seconds at the most, not 10. An appeal is possible.
The teen's friend says vengeance isn't justice, "because they're going after her so harshly," said Stephan Mason. "She wasn't paying attention on the roadway, obviously, but to go as far as vehicular homicide, I think it's overkill."
Two teenage friends were also in the car, which prosecutors say was illegal because the defendant was driving with a restricted license.
The girl's sentencing is set for July 6.
KOMO News typically does not name juvenile defendants.
The teen faces anywhere from three to nine months in jail when sentenced for the September 2010 crash that killed Anna Marie Brulotte.
The toddler was hit while crossing the street with her mother and her two siblings, a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old, on Cornwall Avenue near Assumption Catholic School. A car had stopped to let them cross, but that car was rear-ended by the teen's car, detectives said.
The impact of the crash caused the stopped car to accelerate forward and strike the toddler and her mother, who was holding her hand. The toddler sustained a crushing skull injury and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The mother hit her head on the windshield of the hit car, and was thrown to the pavement. The woman was taken to St. Joseph Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The two other children were not hurt.
Detectives said the teen driver, who was with two friends at the time, was distracted as she'd just asked her passenger to find something in her backpack.
The driver was "looking at the backpack (on the front passenger seat along with her friend) and was indicating where the item was in the backpack" when she crashed, according to the statement of probable cause.
Investigators determined the teen driver was traveling at a speed of 32 mph when she crashed and didn't take any evasive action nor hit the brakes prior to the crash.
"There was inattention for a great period of time -- the court indicated up to 10 seconds," prosecuting attorney Dave McEachran said Tuesday. "And you just cannot do that and operate a vehicle and do it within the law."
Defense attorneys countered the teenager might have looked away for 2 or 3 seconds at the most, not 10. An appeal is possible.
The teen's friend says vengeance isn't justice, "because they're going after her so harshly," said Stephan Mason. "She wasn't paying attention on the roadway, obviously, but to go as far as vehicular homicide, I think it's overkill."
Two teenage friends were also in the car, which prosecutors say was illegal because the defendant was driving with a restricted license.
The girl's sentencing is set for July 6.
KOMO News typically does not name juvenile defendants.
Learn about changes coming to commenting