A Georgia woman is facing a slate of charges after authorities say she drove her car into a lake, climbed out, and stood on top of the sinking vehicle while her 3-year-old goddaughter remained trapped underwater.
According to Spalding County court records, 23-year-old Nafeeza Samad has been charged with driving under the influence, endangering a child while driving under the influence, serious injury by vehicle, reckless driving, and child safety seat violations.
The crash unfolded on Aug. 10 when Samad’s Acura TL was spotted speeding down Dundee Lake Road, about 40 miles south of Atlanta. Investigators say the car barreled through a parking lot, slammed into large boulders used as barriers, then “vaulted” into Dundee Lake.
Samad managed to get herself out of the vehicle, authorities said, climbing onto the roof as bystanders pulled her to safety. But inside the submerged car, a toddler — identified by family only as Hailey — was still strapped in her seat.
By the time deputies and firefighters arrived, the car had been under for minutes. Spalding County Fire Chief Mike Byrd told local station WSB that rescuers could see bubbles rising from the lake but had no time to get proper gear. A fire lieutenant dove in with only a window punch to break the glass, while a sheriff’s deputy steadied him.
They pulled Hailey out, but the scene was grim. “The child was not breathing, [she] did not have a pulse,” Byrd said. “She was in full cardiac arrest.” For several tense minutes, first responders fought to revive her. Against the odds, she regained a pulse and began to breathe on her own.
Byrd estimated the child may have been underwater for as long as six minutes. Doctors at Atlanta children’s hospital confirmed that the girl suffered a severe brain injury. As of this writing Hailey cannot currently eat, speall, or move independently while she reamins in recovery. According to her mother’s GoFundMe, Hailey will need to undergo intense rehabilitation.
Samad, who is Hailey’s godmother, was supposed to be taking the girl to buy Pull-Ups when the crash happened, family members said. Hailey’s mother, Tamika Whitson, wrote, “The crash was caused by someone I trusted.”
“Despite the devil’s attempt to take her from us, my baby is proving to be stronger than anyone could imagine,” Whitson said.
