CT woman charged after accident in which child was injured after falling from car

A woman faces felony charges after she was traveling with a 2-year-old child without a seatbelt or booster seat in Clinton in May and the boy opened the car door, fell out and suffered serious injuries when he was struck by the car, according to state police.

According to Connecticut State Police, 55-year-old Maria Santiago of Clinton turned herself in to Troop F in Westbrook on Monday. She was charged with four counts of endangering minors and one count of failure to install a child restraint system.

Santiago was released on a promise to appear in court and is scheduled to be arraigned in Middletown Superior Court on Tuesday.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the charges stem from Santiago driving around with the 2-year-old boy “untethered” in the back seat on May 14 while she was picking up an 11-year-old from a bus stop. State police also allege that she left three other children, ages 9, 4 and 2, she was babysitting at home alone while she drove to the bus stop.

At 3:14 p.m., emergency crews responded to a report of an accident on Sunnybrook Lane in Clinton involving a 2-year-old who was struck by Santiago’s 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander.

A man who was home at the time of the crash said he ran outside to see what was going on when he heard a woman screaming. When he got there, he saw a child trapped under the vehicle and a woman, later identified as Santiago, screaming desperately, the arrest warrant affidavit states.

The man said he instructed Santiago to call 911 and put the car in reverse to free the child’s legs, the affidavit states. He said he helped the boy until emergency responders arrived.

The child was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital and treated for serious injuries. The severity of the boy’s injuries was removed from the arrest warrant prior to the release of the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, state police learned at the scene that three children Santiago was supposed to be babysitting had been left at a nearby home and that she had left food on the stove. When police spoke with the children, they confirmed that Santiago had left them alone and told them that the oldest child would babysit them.

State police also interviewed the 11-year-old who was picked up at the bus stop. She said she was sitting in the front seat after being picked up and the 2-year-old in the back seat was not in a car seat or wearing a seatbelt, the arrest warrant affidavit states.

The girl said Santiago “never” lets the boy wear a seatbelt, so he usually sits “quite loosely” in the back seat, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

According to the 11-year-old, the boy was standing in the back seat during the car ride before Santiago yelled at him to sit down, the affidavit states. The girl said it seemed like Santiago was driving faster than normal when she picked her up from her bus stop, which she normally did four days a week.

The girl said that when Santiago made a sharp left turn, the child slid into the passenger side of the vehicle. When she turned to check on him, she saw that he had somehow opened the door and fallen out, the arrest warrant affidavit states. When the vehicle stopped and the girl got out, the rear tire was partially on top of him, she said.

State police attempted to question Santiago after she was hospitalized for a panic attack, but were told she did not want to speak without an attorney, the arrest warrant affidavit states.

According to the affidavit, the police also tried to speak to the parents of the boy who was hit by a car, but they refused.

Originally published: July 29, 2024 at 3:09 p.m.