Rescuers foil mom's attempted murder/suicide

[Locutus]

After a pregnant woman drove herself and her three children into the ocean in Daytona Beach, Florida, rescuers sprang into action. Not only did they have to get four people out, they had to do it with the minivan bucking and swaying in the waves. This is both heartbreaking, and astonishing.

The video from Canadian photographer Simon Besner shows the Honda Odyssey being tossed about by the waves, at one point nearly even being pushed onto its side. Rescuers can be seen pulling kids out as fast they can, all the while fighting a multi-ton hunk of steel.

It's still unclear what compelled the unidentified driver to head straight for the sea, but witnesses described an incredibly harrowing situation. Tim Tesseneer, one of the first people to reach the van, told local news outlet WESH of the screams he heard from coming inside:

"The two in the back seat was crying, with their arms out saying 'Our mommy's trying to kill us, please help,'" said Tesseneer.

"The kids are like, 'No there's a baby. There's a baby,'" Tesseneer said. "She (the mother) wouldn't say a word. She didn't tell us nothing about a baby."
​

The three kids, aged 10, 9, and 3, were transported to a hospital as a precautionary measure, but are reported to be physically sound.

Watch Rescuers Pull A Family From A Minivan Driven Into The Ocean

Daytona Beach CAR SWALLOWED - YouTube

 

[spaminator]

'your momma loves you'. :shock:

 

[lone wolf]

If only people could figure out what makes people tick....

 

[SLM]

Why do they have to try to take their kids with them? Ugh, that just makes me sick.

 

[SLM]

Mom who drove van carrying kids into ocean charged with attempted murder

Barbara Liston and Kevin Gray, Reuters

Mar 7, 2014 , Last Updated: 5:08 PM ET

ORLANDO/MIAMI – A pregnant woman who drove a minivan with her children inside into the surf off a Florida beach was charged with three counts of attempted murder, law enforcement officials said on Friday.
A tourist's video showed lifeguards and bystanders rushing to help rescue the woman, Ebony Wilkerson, and her children, ages 3, 9 and 10, as their van bobbed in the waves on Daytona Beach on Tuesday.
Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson said Wilkerson told authorities she was not trying to hurt the children. According to a sheriff office's report, the children told investigators "Mom tried to kill us."
The oldest child, a girl, fought with her mother over control of the steering wheel to try to turn the minivan away from the water, the report said.
Wilkerson, 32, was arrested on Friday after a mental health evaluation and charged with three counts of child abuse. The children have been placed in state custody, Johnson said.
"You're supposed to protect your children at all costs," Johnson told reporters. "You're not supposed to try to kill your children."


Mom who drove van carrying kids into ocean charged with attempted murder

The oldest child, a girl, fought with her mother over control of the steering wheel to try to turn the minivan away from the water, the report said.

A ten year old had to do this. Absolutely unreal.

 

[spaminator]

Mother who drove kids into ocean off Florida needs psychiatric care
Reuters
First posted: Monday, March 17, 2014 07:54 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, March 17, 2014 08:04 PM EDT
ORLANDO, Fla. - The lawyer for a pregnant woman who drove a minivan with her children inside into the surf off a Florida beach wants her released into the care of a hospital psychiatric ward, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
A Volusia County judge on Monday delayed a decision to allow arguments to continue at a court hearing set for March 25.
A public defender representing Ebony Wilkerson was set to argue for a reduction in her $1.2 million bond on three charges of attempted murder and three counts of child abuse.
Instead, Jim Purdy, the lawyer, told the judge that his client had been hospitalized for punching herself in the stomach. He said Wilkerson, 32, was being held naked in solitary confinement and watched by two corrections officers in a secure area at a local hospital, the newspaper reported.
Purdy did not immediately respond to calls for comment.
A tourist's video on March 4 showed lifeguards and bystanders rushing to help rescue Wilkerson and her children, ages 3, 9 and 10, as their van bobbed in the waves on Daytona Beach.
The oldest child, a girl, fought with her mother over control of the steering wheel to try to turn the minivan away from the water, a report by the Volusia County Sheriff said. The girl and the 9-year-old told investigators their mother was trying to kill them, according to the report.
Wilkerson underwent a mental health evaluation before being arrested. Wilkerson, her father and the two older children told authorities that Wilkerson brought her children to Florida from South Carolina a few days before the incident to get away from an abusive marriage.
The day before the incident, Wilkerson, at her sister's request, was evaluated by police, who determined that she did not qualify for involuntary mental health commitment.
The sister took her to the hospital, but Wilkerson left against the advice of medical personnel, according to the arrest affidavit. The children told investigators she began acting "crazy" when they arrived in Florida.
The 10-year-old girl told investigators that her mother took them to the beach "so we could die," the sheriff's report said.
Wilkerson locked the doors of her 2012 Honda Odyssey, closed the windows and told the children to close their eyes and go to sleep, the children told investigators.
Wilkerson ignored her children's pleas and told them they were going to a "safer place," the report said.
A witness saw the girl on her mother's lap fighting for control of the steering wheel, according to investigators.
Wilkerson got out of the minivan and left the children inside. Beach safety officers who started pulling the children out had to fight off Wilkerson, who was grabbing at one officer to try to keep him away from the vehicle, investigators said.
Mother who drove kids into ocean off Florida needs psychiatric care | World | News | Toronto Sun

 

[shadowshiv]

Mother who drove kids into ocean off Florida needs psychiatric care
Reuters
First posted: Monday, March 17, 2014 07:54 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, March 17, 2014 08:04 PM EDT
ORLANDO, Fla. - The lawyer for a pregnant woman who drove a minivan with her children inside into the surf off a Florida beach wants her released into the care of a hospital psychiatric ward, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
A Volusia County judge on Monday delayed a decision to allow arguments to continue at a court hearing set for March 25.
A public defender representing Ebony Wilkerson was set to argue for a reduction in her $1.2 million bond on three charges of attempted murder and three counts of child abuse.
Instead, Jim Purdy, the lawyer, told the judge that his client had been hospitalized for punching herself in the stomach. He said Wilkerson, 32, was being held naked in solitary confinement and watched by two corrections officers in a secure area at a local hospital, the newspaper reported.
Purdy did not immediately respond to calls for comment.
A tourist's video on March 4 showed lifeguards and bystanders rushing to help rescue Wilkerson and her children, ages 3, 9 and 10, as their van bobbed in the waves on Daytona Beach.
The oldest child, a girl, fought with her mother over control of the steering wheel to try to turn the minivan away from the water, a report by the Volusia County Sheriff said. The girl and the 9-year-old told investigators their mother was trying to kill them, according to the report.
Wilkerson underwent a mental health evaluation before being arrested. Wilkerson, her father and the two older children told authorities that Wilkerson brought her children to Florida from South Carolina a few days before the incident to get away from an abusive marriage.
The day before the incident, Wilkerson, at her sister's request, was evaluated by police, who determined that she did not qualify for involuntary mental health commitment.
The sister took her to the hospital, but Wilkerson left against the advice of medical personnel, according to the arrest affidavit. The children told investigators she began acting "crazy" when they arrived in Florida.
The 10-year-old girl told investigators that her mother took them to the beach "so we could die," the sheriff's report said.
Wilkerson locked the doors of her 2012 Honda Odyssey, closed the windows and told the children to close their eyes and go to sleep, the children told investigators.
Wilkerson ignored her children's pleas and told them they were going to a "safer place," the report said.
A witness saw the girl on her mother's lap fighting for control of the steering wheel, according to investigators.
Wilkerson got out of the minivan and left the children inside. Beach safety officers who started pulling the children out had to fight off Wilkerson, who was grabbing at one officer to try to keep him away from the vehicle, investigators said.
Mother who drove kids into ocean off Florida needs psychiatric care | World | News | Toronto Sun

I wonder what the police would be thinking if she had succeeded in her plan to murder them? Luckily their decision to decline her committment didn't turn out to be fatal.

And the fact that she left the vehicle and the children inside makes me wonder if she intended to just kill the children yet keep herself alive.