Executive Summary
- A 55-year-old Louisiana woman, Kristen Anders, was arrested for vehicular homicide after fatally striking her 5-year-old grandson with her vehicle.
- The Slidell Police Department determined Anders was under the influence of alcohol and central nervous system depressants at the time of the incident.
- The fatal event occurred in a driveway on Tuesday morning as the child was reportedly waiting for his school bus.
- The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have stated that Anders is cooperating with investigators.
A 55-year-old woman in Slidell, Louisiana, was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide after she fatally ran over her 5-year-old grandson in a driveway on Tuesday morning. The Slidell Police Department stated that the woman, Kristen Anders, was determined to be under the influence of alcohol and central nervous system depressants at the time of the incident.
The event occurred shortly after 7 a.m. on Spartan Loop. According to a preliminary investigation, the child, identified by the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office as Carson Lawson, was in the driveway waiting for his school bus. Police reported that Anders, who was preparing to leave for work in her 2016 GMC Yukon, was unaware of the child’s presence in front of the vehicle and drove forward, striking him.
During the investigation that followed the crash, officers, including a trained drug recognition expert, observed that Anders exhibited signs of impairment. “As part of any serious crash investigation, Slidell PD traffic fatality investigators check for impairment of the driver,” the department noted in a statement.
Interim Police Chief Daniel Seuzeneau described the situation as a tragedy and “any parent’s worst nightmare.” He confirmed that Anders has been cooperative with the ongoing investigation. “We can all cast judgment and come to our own conclusions but nobody, and I mean nobody, wins in this case,” Seuzeneau said during a press conference.
The investigation into the fatal incident continues. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.