Underage driver crashes into daycare center
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
PLEASANT GROVE, Texas - Police said an unlicensed teenage driver was behind the wheel of a car that slammed into a crowded daycare center in Pleasant Grove Tuesday afternoon, injuring eight children.
Sixty children were inside the storefront facility in the 10000 block of Lake June Road when the car, a white Kia, jumped the curb outside the Dream House Learning Center around 4 p.m.
Instantly, the Dream House turned into a nightmare.
"The car just came through this window. I just seen it just blast through the window," said Karla Jackson.
"It just jumped the curb and went all the way down," said daycare center owner Blynitha McGilbra. "It went through the window and came straight through my daycare."
Two children were trapped under the car. Heroes from a neighboring barber shop rushed in to help.
"We didn't have no other choice but to lift up the car and pull them from under there," said Pierre Caudell.
"One little girl said, 'Help me! Help me! Help me!' So I pulled her out," Leatha Bucanan added.
Dallas Fire-Rescue medic Ray Schufford was one of the first to arrive at the chaotic scene. "It was a pretty horrific sight to see a whole side of a building that's caved in and kids just crying and screaming and everyone not knowing what's going to happen," he said.
Seven of the injured children, ranging in age from 2- to 10-years-old, were rushed to Children’s Medical Center Dallas for treatment. They were treated for minor injuries and released by Tuesday night.
An eighth child was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital's burn unit. The parents requested that no further information be released.
"One of the main focuses of the workers here and the officers was to get all the parents reunited with the kids that were still here," said Dallas Police Lt. Jan Easterling. "That happened actually pretty fast, so that was a good thing, especially for the parents who were looking for their kids."
Dallas police said the driver of the car—a 14-year-old girl—could face up to eight felony counts of injury to a child. Police may also cite a 24-year-old woman for letting the girl get behind the wheel.
Investigators said the teenager hit a curb as she tried to turn into the shopping center where the daycare is located. She lost control and careened into the building.
Police said there were a total of five people in the car, including a 15-year-old, an 11-month-old infant and two adults.
WFAA-TV reporter Janet St. James, Dallas Morning News reporter Holly Yan and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Photo by WFAA ABC 8
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A series of explosions took place at I-20 and I-45 yesterday afternoon:
18-wheeler explodes on I-20
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Traffic on Interstate 20 in Southeast Dallas ground to a halt Tuesday afternoon after an 18-wheeler burst into flames.
The truck blocked all westbound lanes of I-20 on the bridge over Interstate 45.
Dallas Fire-Rescue crews were on scene trying to extinguish the 18-wheeler and several areas of grass near the bridge that also caught fire. Multiple explosions could be seen coming from the truck.
All westbound traffic on I-20 remains shut down at I-45, and continued to move very slowly in other directions on both highways.
The driver of the truck was taken to Parkland Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition. Reports indicated the driver fell asleep at the wheel.
There was no word on whether the bridges at the interchange sustained structural damage, or when the interchange would fully reopen.
Photo by WFAA ABC 8