Mother, 3 children drown after she drives van into river

LA Times ^ | 04/13/2011 | Tina Susman

[kcvl]

Official: Boy had 2 minutes to flee sinking van

NEWBURGH, N.Y. - A 10-year-old boy who clambered out the window of a minivan his mother drove into the fast-moving Hudson River Tuesday night probably had less than two minutes to escape, a fire official said. The boy’s mother and three of his siblings died.

Lashaun Armstrong was the only survivor after 25-year-old Lashanda Armstrong plunged the van into the river in this gritty city 60 miles north of New York City.

When the van hit the water at about 8 p.m., it was just past high tide and the Hudson was flowing swiftly to the south, pulling the van some 25 yards out into the rain- and melt-swollen river, fire chief Michael Vatter said. Vatter figured the van floated in the 45-degree water for no more than two minutes.

“He got out of the car, got up onto the boat ramp, turned around and it was gone,” Vatter said.

The boy’s great-aunt, Angela Gilliam, told The Associated Press that he was “doing good” Wednesday and “taking it all in.”

“He rolled the window down and got out,” Gilliam said.

http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S2063309.shtml?cat=10104

Armstrong seemed stressed but not depressed when she picked up the children Tuesday at the Young and Unique Christian Development Child Care, said Shaniesha Strange, supervisor in the infant room.

“It just seemed like she was having a bad day,” Strange said. “I could see that something was kind of bothering her but she didn’t talk about it. She wasn’t one to talk about her business. The only thing she’d say was that she was so alone. She’s a single parent, she takes great care of her kids, goes to school, and works. She really needed a helping hand.”

Vatter said a passer-by saw Lashaun Armstrong come out of the river, picked up the soaking wet boy and took him to a nearby fire department. Vatter said the boy was so distraught that he had difficulty talking but ultimately told firefighters what happened. Rescuers went immediately to the river but it was too late to save the four victims.

[Responsibility2nd]

At the link is an excerpt under the picture of that boat ramp.

It says “Police say a 10 year old boy...”

It’s one of them “0”’s with a line through it. I had already read the mother was 25. And I saw that 10 with a line through it as 18.

I thought “A 25 year old mother with an 18 year old?? Winning The Future???”