A Louisiana mother has described her devastation after her five-year-old son was fatally struck by his grandmother in an alleged drink-driving crash as he waited for his school bus.
Abi Combs has shared a tear-jerking tribute to her son, Carson, who was killed in his Slidell home’s driveway at around 7am on Tuesday.
‘My baby boy is gone,’ she wrote in the heartbreaking Facebook post on Wednesday. ‘His unexpected death and the way he went was the most traumatic and devastating scenario I have ever had to endure.’
The young boy was standing in his driveway, waiting for the bus to arrive and take him to school, just like any other morning in his weekday routine.
But his grandmother, Kristen Anders, 55, did not notice him there as she entered her large SUV, which had been backed into the driveway, and drove out onto the street.
Carson was pronounced dead at the grim scene.
As police scrambled to piece together what happened, Anders allegedly claimed she could not see him because he was standing in front of the large vehicle and too short to appear in the front window.
During a Tuesday press conference, Slidell Police Chief Daniel Seuzeneau said investigators found that Anders ‘exhibited signs of impairment.’
Carson, who was described as kind-hearted and loving, was pronounced dead at the grim scene
Abi Combs, right, said she will never be the same without Carson, left
She was allegedly under the influence of a cocktail of alcohol and nervous system depressants.
Anders has been arrested and charged with vehicular homicide.
‘This is any parent’s worst nightmare,’ Seuzeneau said. ‘This hits home hard for all of us and all the first responders who were at the scene.’
He continued: ‘I spoke with the victim’s mother several times today and there isn’t anything I can say to make this situation any better. All we can do it pray for their peace.’
In her detailed message, honoring Carson’s life, Combs described her son as a loving and outgoing child with a big heart.
‘Carson knew how much we loved him. I am devastated and completely broken. I will never be the same and I’m asking for privacy at this time to grieve my baby who was gone way too soon,’ she wrote.
Kristen Anders has been arrested and charged with vehicular homicide
Carson was fatally struck by his grandmother’s SUV on Tuesday morning
Combs shared the heartbreaking Facebook tribute on Wednesday
A GoFundMe page, which has already raised more than $7,200, and a Meal Train have been created to support Carson’s mourning family during these trying times.
About 34 people in the US die each day in drunk-driving crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that in 2020, 229 kids aged 0 to 14 were killed in drunk driving accidents.
Out of all traffic-related fatalities, about 30 percent involve drunk drivers.
