For those parents who are conscientious and leave their vehicles running in an effort to keep the kids warm, heed this story.
A woman in Parker, Colorado stopped at the Department of Motor Vehicles to conduct some business she had there, and left her SUV running to keep her children warm, when her 10-year-old daughter jumped into the drivers seat, and put it into gear.
The young girl drove right through a window and into the Department of Motor Vehicles office.
“Right there where it went through, basically there are rows of seating. It could have been a lot worse,” said Wes Carpenter. He works next door to the DMV and heard all the commotion.
Luckily, the building was not as crowded as it usually is. Witnesses say there were only a handful of people around when the vehicle came through the window.
Natriece Bryant, a spokesperson for the DMV said, “It scared everybody, they heard a large boom then all of a sudden they saw an SUV in the front part of the waiting area.”
Carpenter said, “I was in the back, working and it was a little after noon, I think. I heard just glass. It wasn’t a big explosion, it was just glass falling. It almost sounded like several pictures all fell at the same time.”
Parker Police say two girls, ages 10 and 12, were inside the vehicle. Their mom came into the DMV, left the keys in the car, and somehow the 10-year-old slipped behind the wheel and shifted the car into drive.
Carpenter said he went outside after he heard the glass. “I definitely saw the mom, you know, and the girls,” he said. “She was talking sternly to them.”
Even though it was believed that the mother left the vehicle running, her initial statement was that she turned off the vehicle, but left the keys in it – which prevented police from citing the mother, Kristine Achziger.
According to officials, anyone 10 or older can be charged with a crime in Colorado, so police gave the girl a ticket for reckless driving.
Police also say the girl will likely face some community service.
The damage was minimal to the structure itself, so although the DMV will be closed the rest of the day on Monday, it plans to resume business as usual at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Image via YouTube
