Mom Wrecks Car While Smoking Pot, Hides with Baby in the Woods

“I’m doing the best I can” is one of my least favorite phrases in the world. Ever.

It’s not because I think people don’t mean it, I’m sure they do, it’s just that they seem to say it after doing something that requires very little “doing the best you can.”

So, in this instance, I wouldn’t be surprised if the mom involved says, “I’m just doing the best I can” because, you know, smoking pot while driving with your kid not properly nestled into its car seat seems to be the best for some.

People usually just say “I’m doing the best I can” because they aren’t doing the best they actually can, but they want you to think that they are so that you have some sort of sympathy for them or let them off the hook.

A Bethlehem woman who police say failed to properly secure her young child in a car seat, fled a crash and hid from police with the infant on the rail trail paths Saturday in Hellertown, according to court records. 

Quiani Melia Lopez, 20, of the 500 block of West Fourth Street in Bethlehem, was involved in a crash at 12:57 p.m. Saturday in the 100 block of Front Street in Hellertown, authorities say. 

Police called to the intersection found a black Honda coupe with heavy front-end damage and airbag deployment empty on the road. A child seat, not attached to anything in the car, was observed in the backseat tilted toward the driver’s side door, police say.

Witnesses said the female driver of the Honda allegedly grabbed her baby from the car seat and ran east toward Main and Walnut streets, yelling, “My baby! My baby!”

Court records say police investigating the crash found a burnt marijuana joint on the driver side floor and bags of pot and marijuana joints elsewhere in the vehicle, which authorities say was not insured.

Police found Lopez with her baby boy a short time later on the rails to trails path, where she was allegedly hiding from police. The baby suffered a facial injury from not being strapped properly in the car seat, according to court records.

Police sent the baby to St. Luke’s University Hospital in Fountain Hill for treatment of his bruised forehead and to rule out any other potential injuries.

Lopez was arraigned before District Judge Patricia Romig-Passaro on charges of endangering the welfare of a child, accidents in involving personal injury, possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving with a suspended license, accidents involving damage, careless driving, failure to properly restrain a passenger and failure to have a vehicle insured. SOURCE: The Express-Times

I’m all about second chances and such, but sometimes you don’t really deserve them. You’re a mom. You have a kid in the car. There is no grey area when it comes to “Should I be smoking pot?” or “Is the kid properly secured in the car seat.”

You don’t get a pass on this one. You just don’t.