harrisonsdream
10-11-2006, 09:44 AM
Rains bring deadly decision
12-year-old moving the family van accidentally hits office, kills his mom
By CINDY HORSWELL
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
Caught unprepared for rain as the dark skies unleashed a downpour Tuesday afternoon, Lisa Lewis motioned for her sons to move the family's van closer to the door of the Humble dental office she had just left.
That decision would end with her 12-year-old son crashing into the office, killing the 44-year-old woman and injuring two dental assistants. His 17-year-old brother, who was in the passenger seat and has no driver's license, was not injured. It was unclear why the younger boy was driving.
"The youngest told us that he thought he was putting on the brake but he stomped onto the accelerator," said Humble Police Sgt. Ken Theis. The mistake caused the van to lurch over the curb and into the Monarch Dental Associates' office on FM 1960.
The van struck his mother, who was standing on the sidewalk, then plowed through a glass block wall into the dental office's reception room. Lewis had just paid for her 12-year-old son's dental treatment and had scheduled other appointments.
Lewis was pronounced dead at 2:05 p.m. shortly after her arrival at Northeast Medical Center. The assistants — Loretta Henderson, 43, of Pearland, and Sesha Barefield, 30, of Humble — were listed in critical condition there, authorities said.
The boys' father, Jeffrey Lewis, was being summoned home from Israel where he had gone to perform a religious dance program.
"Jeff is a professional dancer who is performing for the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem," said Randall Flinn, the director of Ad Deum, a faith-based arts organization in Houston. Lewis, he said, has been a respected member of Houston's dance community for 20 years.
Flinn described Lisa Lewis as "an incredible woman ... a marvelous wife and mother."
The couple had seven children, Flinn said.
"Some of the older ones in their 20s and some aunts and uncles are taking care of the boys now," Theis said. Nobody at the family's home in the 19000 block of Hurst Wood Drive in Humble could be reached for comment.
Concern for two boys
The two dental assistants' families also gathered at the hospital.
"I was impressed by how they expressed an overwhelming concern for the welfare of the young boys, as well as for their own people," said Theis.
Henderson underwent hip surgery late Tuesday while Barefield was being treated for a deep cut and several leg fractures.
Other office workers only heard the crash, saying it sounded like a cupboard full of dishes breaking at once.
One male employee there, who did not give his name, was 5 feet from the van after it crashed through the wall.
"I saw the mother laying on the ground (not doing well) and gave her CPR until the ambulance crew could take over," he said. About five other workers from the dental office huddled after the accident, but they were too stunned to talk about it.
Christy Englehart, a vice president over operations for Monarch Dental and Castle Dental, said nothing like this had ever happened before at any of the corporation's facilities.
"It's a very unfortunate situation," she said. "We want to offer counseling or any other resources that we can."
She was also working to get the gaping hole in the building sealed and trying to alert dental patients that appointments would need to be rescheduled.
After the crash, witnesses said the older boy sobbed and the 12-year-old was so shaken that he was speechless and unable to communicate at first.
"He was in shock," said Mirna Lazo, who works at an adjacent hair salon.
By the numbers
Between 2002 to 2004, records show 71 fatal wrecks in Texas involved children drivers 15 and younger.
Harris County had the most. Just last July, another serious accident involved a 12-year-old driver from Houston. The driver, Justin Dieckman, took his father's truck without permission and slammed it into a tree — killing himself and a friend and injuring three other Hildebrandt Intermediate students.
Theis said information on the Humble accident would be presented to the district attorney to determine if any charges should be filed.
"But as far as I'm concerned, this was strictly an accident," he said.
12-year-old moving the family van accidentally hits office, kills his mom
By CINDY HORSWELL
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
Caught unprepared for rain as the dark skies unleashed a downpour Tuesday afternoon, Lisa Lewis motioned for her sons to move the family's van closer to the door of the Humble dental office she had just left.
That decision would end with her 12-year-old son crashing into the office, killing the 44-year-old woman and injuring two dental assistants. His 17-year-old brother, who was in the passenger seat and has no driver's license, was not injured. It was unclear why the younger boy was driving.
"The youngest told us that he thought he was putting on the brake but he stomped onto the accelerator," said Humble Police Sgt. Ken Theis. The mistake caused the van to lurch over the curb and into the Monarch Dental Associates' office on FM 1960.
The van struck his mother, who was standing on the sidewalk, then plowed through a glass block wall into the dental office's reception room. Lewis had just paid for her 12-year-old son's dental treatment and had scheduled other appointments.
Lewis was pronounced dead at 2:05 p.m. shortly after her arrival at Northeast Medical Center. The assistants — Loretta Henderson, 43, of Pearland, and Sesha Barefield, 30, of Humble — were listed in critical condition there, authorities said.
The boys' father, Jeffrey Lewis, was being summoned home from Israel where he had gone to perform a religious dance program.
"Jeff is a professional dancer who is performing for the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem," said Randall Flinn, the director of Ad Deum, a faith-based arts organization in Houston. Lewis, he said, has been a respected member of Houston's dance community for 20 years.
Flinn described Lisa Lewis as "an incredible woman ... a marvelous wife and mother."
The couple had seven children, Flinn said.
"Some of the older ones in their 20s and some aunts and uncles are taking care of the boys now," Theis said. Nobody at the family's home in the 19000 block of Hurst Wood Drive in Humble could be reached for comment.
Concern for two boys
The two dental assistants' families also gathered at the hospital.
"I was impressed by how they expressed an overwhelming concern for the welfare of the young boys, as well as for their own people," said Theis.
Henderson underwent hip surgery late Tuesday while Barefield was being treated for a deep cut and several leg fractures.
Other office workers only heard the crash, saying it sounded like a cupboard full of dishes breaking at once.
One male employee there, who did not give his name, was 5 feet from the van after it crashed through the wall.
"I saw the mother laying on the ground (not doing well) and gave her CPR until the ambulance crew could take over," he said. About five other workers from the dental office huddled after the accident, but they were too stunned to talk about it.
Christy Englehart, a vice president over operations for Monarch Dental and Castle Dental, said nothing like this had ever happened before at any of the corporation's facilities.
"It's a very unfortunate situation," she said. "We want to offer counseling or any other resources that we can."
She was also working to get the gaping hole in the building sealed and trying to alert dental patients that appointments would need to be rescheduled.
After the crash, witnesses said the older boy sobbed and the 12-year-old was so shaken that he was speechless and unable to communicate at first.
"He was in shock," said Mirna Lazo, who works at an adjacent hair salon.
By the numbers
Between 2002 to 2004, records show 71 fatal wrecks in Texas involved children drivers 15 and younger.
Harris County had the most. Just last July, another serious accident involved a 12-year-old driver from Houston. The driver, Justin Dieckman, took his father's truck without permission and slammed it into a tree — killing himself and a friend and injuring three other Hildebrandt Intermediate students.
Theis said information on the Humble accident would be presented to the district attorney to determine if any charges should be filed.
"But as far as I'm concerned, this was strictly an accident," he said.