Woman drunkenly drove into lake with 3-year-old goddaughter in the back seat, then stood on top of the car while the toddler was drowning inside: Police

A pistillate is accused of drunkenly driving her car into a Georgia water and lasting connected apical of the submerged car earlier being rescued — portion her goddaughter remained submerged underwater, authorities say.

Nafeeza Samad, 23, faces respective charges from the incident, including driving nether the influence, endangering a child portion driving nether the influence, superior wounded by vehicle, reckless driving, and kid information spot violations, according to Spalding County tribunal records.

On Aug. 10, an Acura TL sedan was seen speeding westbound connected Dundee Lake Road into the parking batch of Dundee Lake, authorities say. Once successful the parking lot, the conveyance continued to determination fast, and the beforehand of the Acura "struck ample boulders utilized arsenic postulation barriers," Georgia State Patrol told Law&Crime.

Love existent crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life transgression stories delivered close to your inbox.

The conveyance past "vaulted" into a grassy country and crashed into the lake, which is located immoderate 40 miles southbound of Atlanta. Authorities accidental that Samad opted to prevention herself.

"The operator climbed retired of the conveyance and stood connected apical of the car; a 3-year-old kid was trapped wrong of the immersed vehicle," the authorities bureau said.

Bystanders reportedly helped the operator disconnected the car, but minutes passed with the conveyance — and frankincense the child, identified lone by the sanction Hailey — inactive underwater. A Spalding County Sheriff's Office lawman and Spalding County Fire Department lieutenant arrived astatine the country and were informed astir the unsafe situation.

"They swam retired to the car, wherever they could spot the bubbles coming up," Spalding County Fire Chief Mike Byrd told Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB. He said the occurrence lieutenant dove down into the h2o portion the lawman held onto him "just successful lawsuit helium got successful occupation due to the fact that they had nary equipment, nary mask, they didn't person anything."

The firefighter did person a instrumentality called a model punch, which helium utilized to interruption the car window, and past helium brought the kid to safety. But still, the toddler's chances of endurance did not look great.

"The kid was not breathing, [she] did not person a pulse," Byrd said, adding that she was successful afloat cardiac arrest. However, the archetypal responders kept trying life-saving measures, and "they were capable to revive the kid connected scene. They got a pulse back, the kid started breathing connected its own."

Byrd believes the kid could person been underwater for arsenic agelong arsenic six minutes. The 3-year-old miss was airlifted to a children's infirmary successful Atlanta, and arsenic of Wednesday, was inactive breathing, according to a GoFundMe acceptable up by her mother. However, her roadworthy to betterment is acceptable to beryllium a hard one.

"Doctors person confirmed that she sustained a terrible encephalon injury," the fundraiser states. "Right now, Hailey cannot talk, eat, oregon bash thing connected her ain too breathe. She volition request extended rehabilitation, aesculapian care, and semipermanent enactment arsenic she works to retrieve and rebuild her strength."

According to WSB, Samad was the child's godmother – and she was expected to beryllium taking the miss to get Pull-Ups, an effort successful transitioning from diapers, erstwhile the clang occurred.

The kid has reportedly been taken retired of the children's hospital's intensive attraction unit, her ma said. She added that the clang was "caused by idiosyncratic I trusted."

"The car plunged into a water successful Spalding County, Georgia, and by the clip archetypal responders arrived, the conveyance was wholly submerged with my babe trapped wrong & the operator lasting connected apical of the car not trying to assistance my child," Tamika Whitson wrote.

"Despite the devil's effort to instrumentality her from us, my babe is proving to beryllium stronger than anyone could imagine," she added. "She is warring with everything she has and I judge with time, prayers, and support, she volition proceed to defy the odds."

As of Thursday, the lawsuit was inactive being investigated, led by the Georgia State Patrol's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRTD). Video of the car successful the aftermath of the clang shows a shattered windshield, tires coated successful mud, and the beforehand bumper removed.