Bombed Mom’s Crash Breaks Toddler’s Neck
Santa Barbara – Harry’s Plaza Cafe, a popular restaurant and local watering hole, was the scene of a drunken verbal altercation between staff and Kate Walters, 24, and her female companion in the early evening hours of May 20th. As it was apparent that Walters and her friend—accompanied by Walters’ 3-year old son—were seriously intoxicated (Harry’s is known for pouring a “real” drink), restaurant management evicted them from the premises and indicated that a cab would be called to take them home.
Kate Walters
Walters and her friend, apparently impatient and unwilling to wait for the summoned taxi, continued to cause such a ruckus outside the restaurant that restaurant staff then called the police to handle the situation. According to Santa Barbara Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Riley Harwood, before the police arrived, “Walters and her friend went to the friend’s parked car” and then drove away with Walters behind the wheel and her son in a child’s car seat in the rear passenger area.
Harwood reported to the media that additional witnesses, observing the car careening through the parking lot, also called for law enforcement. Following the vehicle’s departure from the area, it traveled just two blocks before jumping a curb and slamming into a series of obstructions, the most significant of which was a city street light post. “The force of the collision caused the airbags in the vehicle to deploy,” Harwood stated.
During this time, SBPD Officers Mark Hunt and Bruno Peterson—who were enroute to the initial reporting site at Harry’s Plaza Cafe—were notified of the accident and responded to that scene where they found Walters outside of the vehicle, her intoxicated friend still in the front passenger seat, and the young boy in the arms of a passerby, obviously injured and bleeding. Paramedics on the scene transported all three accident victims to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where the boy’s injuries were determined to include a broken neck and multiple abrasions.
For her part, Walters refused to submit to a blood alcohol test which generated a search warrant calling for forcible collection of a blood sample. Walters was quickly determined to have been driving under the influence, and was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of felony DUI and felony child endangerment, with bail set at $100,000.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
Read more:
KeyT: 3-Year-Old Injured in DUI Crash Transported to LA Area Hospital
Santa Barbara Independent: DUI Crash Leaves 3-Year-Old With Serious Injuries
EdHat: Toddler Injured in DUI Collision
