An Indiana mother faces prison after accidentally running over her 8-year-old daughter while playing a game with her children in which she would drive away and pretend to abandon them.
Jasmine White, 27, was sentenced to nine years in prison with five suspended, which means she will serve four years with work release, according to the St. Joseph Prosecutor’s Office.
White pleaded guilty to child neglect charges in January and received his sentence on Friday, according to court records.
She will serve her sentence at the St. Joseph Correctional Center and be on probation for two years after her release.
White was playing a game in which she raced her children to the car, locked the doors, and pretended to leave them behind.
One of her daughters is said to have gotten her foot caught under the car’s rear tire while it was moving, pulling her to the ground.
She reportedly fractured her skull and sustained orbital fractures, bruises, and a deep cut on her face that reached the bone. WNDU, a local NBC affiliate, also reported that the girl lost five teeth.
The incident took place on August 29, 2024, at an apartment complex in South Bend. White’s daughter was in the hospital for several days, including intubation and IV sedation, but she has reportedly been released.
WNDU reported that one of the girl’s siblings told investigators about the game. She claimed that White was driving faster than usual, and the 8-year-old was holding onto the door handle when she was hit.
Video footage allegedly shows White speeding up while her daughter hangs on to the passenger door handle, reaching speeds of 15 to 20 mph.