An Indiana woman has been sentenced to a nine-year prison term, with five years suspended, for accidentally running over her 8-year-old daughter during a game she played with her children. Jasmine White, 27, will serve four years in prison with work release, as per the ruling by the St. Joseph Prosecutor’s Office. White had pleaded guilty to child neglect charges in January and was sentenced last Friday.
The game, as described by one of White’s children, involved White racing her kids to the car, locking the doors, and pretending to abandon them. During one such instance, one of her daughters got her foot trapped under the moving car’s rear tire, causing her to fall to the ground.
The incident, which took place on August 29, 2024, at a South Bend apartment complex, resulted in severe injuries for the girl. She sustained a fractured skull, orbital fractures, deep facial cuts reaching the bone, and lost five teeth. The local NBC affiliate, WNDU, reported these details.
Following the accident, the girl was hospitalized for several days, undergoing intubation and IV sedation. She has since been released, according to reports. The girl’s sibling, who witnessed the incident, told investigators that White was driving faster than usual when the accident occurred.
The 8-year-old was reportedly holding onto the car door handle when she was run over. Video footage of the incident allegedly shows White accelerating as her daughter clung to the passenger door handle, reaching speeds between 15 to 20 mph.
White will serve her sentence at the St. Joseph Correctional Center and will be on probation for two years following her release. This case serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers of seemingly harmless games and the importance of prioritizing children’s safety.