Drunk Driving Accident -
Not Abuse
This excerpt is taken from former Judge Craig Key's book titled "Deadly Game of Tug of War: The Kelsey Smith-Briggs Story." You can find out more about the book and ordering information at www.judgekey.com.
"On August 19, 2005, at 10:23 p.m. Michael Porter, Raye Dawn, and Kelsey
were struck by a drunk driver. The Porters were driving through an
intersection in
Kelsey had been riding in a toddler seat and sustained a reddened area around her left eye and bruising to her forehead, the bridge of her nose, and her abdomen. She also complained of pain in her abdomen and her elbow. (Pictures of Kelsey have been shown on TV and on various websites to rally against abuse. The photograph of her in a swing with bruises to her face was taken shortly after the automobile accident.)
Raye Dawn and Porter took Kelsey to the emergency room the night of the accident at approximately 12:30am. They waited to be seen by a physician until 2:45am. During this time, Kelsey was seen running around the emergency room, eating Doritos, and acting like a normal toddler. Raye Dawn reported the accident to DHS the following day and told them that the triage nurse didn’t suspect internal injuries because Kelsey was so rambunctious. The family ultimately left the emergency room without having Kelsey seen.
Kelsey’s appetite diminished even more after the accident and she refused to eat. On August 25th, Raye Dawn was accompanied by the CHBS worker to Dr. Koons’ office. The doctor noted:
1. Bruise to her left hip.
2. Bruise on her left mandible.
3. Bruise on her left cheek.
4. Not as playful since she had been told she’d have to visit her step-mother for visitation.
5. Doctor notes revealed that most of the bruises were consistent with the accident, though excessive. She noted that something else may be going on to cause the other problems.
6. Kelsey had also been having seizures, which they had previously referred to as night terrors.
After Kelsey’s visit with Ashley on August 29, 2005, a DHS abuse report was called in by Ashley stating that Kelsey was acting timid, had lost weight, and her eye was red. This report was “screened out” due to the fact that Kelsey’s doctor had documented the injuries from the auto accident in her August 25th report."
This is from the actual police report: The drunk driver left the scene of the accident in his 1997 Cadillac Deville.
When I first saw these pictures I thought it looked to me like Kelsey was pouting. I asked the family about the last visit with Ashley and was told that Kelsey was upset all the way to Ashley's house and Kelsey said she didn't like Ashley and didn't want to see her. When Raye Dawn picked Kelsey up after her visit, the first thing Kelsey said was that they took her sucker away. Kelsey was upset for quite some time after Raye Dawn picked her up over being given a sucker and having it taken from her.
This was one of the pictures taken after the car accident and the bruises
are supposed to show "abuse." That's why nobody showed up for the September
8th hearing. The pictures were taken as evidence for the ongoing custody
battle, not because Kelsey was abused or they thought she was dying. If they
truly thought she was dying -
1. They would have taken her to the hospital!
2. They wouldn't have put her in a swing!
3. They would have showed up at the hearing or at the courthouse unannounced
and demanded something be done!
4. By not doing ALL of the above if they thought she was dying they're ALL
guilty of neglect and child endangerment. Period!
Hodsoncm said - According to the
CONFIDENTIAL OCCY REPORT the accident occurred at approximately 10:23pm on
Friday August 19, 2005. (page 17 of 33)
These photos were taken on a Saturday 5 hour visit granted to Ashley
(Kelsey's step-mother) on August 27, 2005 (page 19 of 33)
That was EXACTLY 7 days after the accident occurred (at night).
In my opinion as an EMT: The bruising photographed is
consistent with that stage of healing. Although some of the bruises are
markedly worse than others, they all appear to be in the same stage of
healing as is noted by the uniform coloring on the outer edges of the
bruises.
Additionally, it is not uncommon for retinal bleeding to occur after a
vehicular accident as there was most likely a "whiplash" action that
occurred. Often this bleeding may not show up for several days as the blood
makes it's way from the retina and pools before it clots.
