Ah, good ol' Texas. Here's a fun, minor controversy to brighten your day! Per PEOPLE, a Texas tow truck driver is in hot water for allegedly towing a car with a 5-year-old girl still in it. San Antonio police say the unidentified driver could be charged with child endangerment.
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The driver was towing a car parked in an apartment complex in San Antonio. Per KENS 5, a woman who was nine months pregnant left the car running with its emergency flashers on. As she told police, she attempted to contact a neighbor when the tow truck came.
As the mother recounts, she was in the direct sightline of the car when the tow truck took it. Additionally, it's reported that the tow truck driver didn't take "appropriate measures such as attaching chains to the car." A witness gave the woman a ride to follow the truck. When the truck made its stop, the woman called 911 and was promptly reunited with her daughter.
Tow Truck Driver May Face Charges For Towing A Vehicle With A Child In It
Towing the car was completely above board. But the police are specifically investigating the driver for the incident. Trinity Towing, the towing company in question, gave a statement regarding the incident. "The car was locked, with the ignition off, and there were no signs of anyone inside or around the vehicle," the statement begins.
"We later learned a little girl was asleep on the floorboard when we first towed the vehicle and was not visible to the driver." When the driver learned about the child, however, they got the child to unlock the car from the inside.
The company asserts that the driver followed protocol, but "the situation could have been much more serious." Per Texas' laws, if a child under 15 is "in imminent danger of death, bodily injury, or physical or mental impairment," it could warrant a child endangerment charge.
The situation is horribly unfortunate for everyone involved, but a part of me can't help but feel sorry for the driver. You can't plan for every contingency, and it seems that the situation is just a run of bad luck. Or gross negligence. I suppose that's not for me to ultimately decide!
