A horrific incident unfolded in Spalding County where an alleged drunk driver, behind the wheel of an Acura TL, left the road at high speeds, careening into a lake with a 3-year-old child trapped inside, the Georgia State Patrol reported. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the vehicle violently struck a boulder before landing beside the lake and subsequently submerging in the water, with emergency responders later rescuing the child and performing CPR to reestablish a pulse.
The car, which was speeding down Dundee Lake Road before the tragedy, entered the Dundee Lake parking lot and, despite the presence of traffic control measures, did not slow down but instead continued at a perilous speed and struck the boulder, which vaulted the car into the lake—the driver escaped and stood atop the car while the child remained trapped, as detailed by Atlanta News First. A deputy and a firefighter were quick to act, saving the child who was later airlifted to a hospital for urgent medical treatment.
Subsequent to the rescue, the driver was arrested on multiple charges, including driving under the influence (DUI), serious injury by a vehicle, endangering a child under 14 while driving under the influence, reckless driving, and child safety seat violations. As the Georgia State Patrol's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team dives into the investigation, the community reels from the near-drowning of a child due to what appears to be a grave lapse in judgment by an adult. The child, whose current condition remains undisclosed, is hopefully on the path to recovery.
