Opinion ID: 2635258
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: near-miss car accident

Text: ¶ 16 During the initial police investigation and at trial, Hales explained that the bruising on Luther's face was from a near-miss car accident that had happened two days earlier, on December 3, 1985, while he was driving Luther to the home of Westerman's sister, Sheryl Merrell. On that day, Westerman started a new job with a new schedule that required Hales to drop her off at work and then to drop Luther off at Merrell's home. According to Hales, while he was driving Luther to Merrell's house after dropping Westerman off at her job, a car pulled out in front of his truck and caused him to slam on his brakes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luther, who was strapped into a baby carrier but not belted into the car, hit the dash and fall onto a pile of carpenter's tools on the floor. Hales pulled over, took the screaming Luther out of his carrier, and tried unsuccessfully to comfort him. Hales then strapped Luther back into the carrier and took him to Merrell's house. ¶ 17 Merrell testified that when Hales arrived that day, Luther was crying and had a half-moon-shaped red mark on the side of his left eye. She picked Luther up, and he clutched her. When Merrell asked what had happened, Hales told Merrell that Luther had fallen and hit the dashboard. While Merrell was caring for Luther over the course of the day, the bruising on Luther's face spread over his forehead and face. But Luther played, ate, and interacted with Merrell. ¶ 18 The next day, Luther was still bruised and fussy, and he threw up a couple of times, but he was otherwise acting okay. Two days after the bruising appeared, on the morning of December 5, Westerman took Luther to his pediatrician, Dr. Frank Bentley. Dr. Bentley found that Luther had a mild injury to his head and a fever caused by an ear infection. It was later that same day that Luther was rushed to the hospital while in Hales's care. ¶ 19 At trial, Westerman countered Hales's testimony about the near-miss car accident by testifying that when Hales dropped her off at work, Luther was strapped into his carrier and his carrier was strapped into the seatbelt of the car.