A Pennsylvania mother faces several charges after she allegedly drove drunk and crashed into another vehicle while her three children were inside.
Investigators said Mackenzie Stanley, 23, was driving her minivan down Forsythia Drive South in Levittown after a domestic disturbance with her husband who was running behind the vehicle.
Stanley drove at a high speed and lost control of the van, striking a light pole at the intersection of Forsythia Drive South and Flamingo Road, police said. She then struck a vehicle driven by Christian Gallardo. Dashcam video from Gallardo’s vehicle captured the moment of impact.
Gallardo’s vehicle went into the lawn of a nearby home while Stanley continued to speed down the road, according to investigators. She then drove onto the front yard of another home and crashed into a parked vehicle, police said.
Gallardo told NBC10 he got out of his vehicle and checked on Stanley. He also said he found Stanley’s three children, all under the age of 5 and all unrestrained.
“I picked the kid up and I froze because I couldn’t believe the kid wasn’t buckled in and the kid didn’t go flying,” Gallardo said.
While children were on the street riding their bikes at the time of the crash, no one was hurt during the incident. Gallardo told NBC10 it could have been much worse if his vehicle wasn’t struck.
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“If she didn’t hit me, she would have wound up right in her bedroom and you probably would have had somebody dead,” he said. “Her or her kids or all of them.”
Stanley appeared to be highly intoxicated and was uncooperative when police arrived, investigators said. Witnesses also said they found several liquor bottles inside her van.
“Really I’m just ashamed and embarrassed and mortified but very, very thankful no one was injured,” Stanley’s mother, Amy Herzog, said.
Stanley was arrested and faces at least 16 charges, including driving while under the influence and child endangerment. Herzog told NBC10 her daughter has a drinking problem and she’s getting help.
