FULLERTON, Calif. (KABC) — A mother has been charged with child abuse after her toddler was seen on video tumbling out of her SUV while she was driving in Fullerton last month.
Jacqueline Marie Hernandez, 35, was charged with one count of misdemeanor child abuse, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
The charge stems from shocking video that captured the moment the 19-month-old child fell from the vehicle.
The video shows the SUV making a left turn at the intersection of N. Euclid Street and W. Malvern Avenue. That’s when the front passenger door opens, and the toddler falls to the ground.
The SUV immediately stopped, nearly causing a crash with the car behind it, according to Fullerton police.
The video then shows a woman get out of the driver’s side of the SUV and pick up the child before she gets back into the vehicle and drives away.
Shortly after the incident, investigators located the vehicle, the child and the woman involved at a residence in La Habra. Hernandez was taken into custody on suspicion of child abuse, but later bailed out, according to the D.A.
Police said the 19-month-old child sustained injuries consistent with the fall and was taken to an area hospital for treatment. The toddler was expected to make a full recovery.
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