Florida Mom Arrested For Driving With Her 13-Year-Old Son On The Car’s Hood

A Florida woman is facing child abuse charges after she allegedly drove her car while her 13-year-old son clung desperately to the hood, WTNH (New Haven) is reporting.

Bridget Olinda Garcia, 32, of Port Saint Lucie, and her teenage son had an argument over her taking his phone away and threatening to leave him at home while she and her other three children went out. Bridget had managed to get her other three children into the car before her upset son came out of the house and jumped on the hood of the car.

Rather than deal with the situation appropriately, according to The Daily Mail, the Florida mom backed out of her driveway and onto the street in reverse – about 200 feet – and then drove about another 200 feet down the street, before coming to a stop, all while her son clung to the hood of the car.

When she stopped, the boy fell off the car and injured his right foot, knee, and hip. He was taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The other children in the car were uninjured.

The Florida mom was charged with child abuse and booked into jail.

Despite what you may see in the movies, it’s nearly impossible for a human being to safely hold on to a moving car even under the best of circumstances, according to The Discovery Channel.

“Even at speeds under 45 miles per hour, [our researchers] demonstrated that a person can’t grip tightly enough to stay atop a car while it’s moving. Any turning or stopping only makes matters worse, since Newton’s laws of motion won’t work in your favor. For example, if the car turns, an invisible nemesis called centrifugal force — a kind of inertia that keeps you flying away from the center of rotation — will literally shove you off the roof. And when the driver slams on the brakes, your forward-moving body will keep right on sailing into the air. With the windows lowered — or if you hop on the car’s slightly easier-to-grip hood — there’s a better chance that you could hang on for dear life, but the odds still aren’t in your favor.”

What punishment should this Florida mom receive for driving with her teenage son holding onto the hood of her car? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.

[Image courtesy of: Port Saint Lucie Police]