Police: Woman Fled Car Wreck with Injured Baby

A South Bethlehem woman who police say failed to properly restrain her infant son in a car seat allegedly fled the scene of an accident on Front Street in Hellertown Friday afternoon, attempting to hide along the rails-to-trails path, according to court papers.

Quiana Melia Lopez, 20, of 503 W. Fourth St., is facing multiple charges in the incident, including possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Hellertown police, while searching Lopez’s abandoned car, found a burned marijuana cigarette on the driver’s side floor, a small plastic baggie of marijuana in the driver’s side door and other drug paraphernalia, according to the arrest affidavit.

Court papers also said:

• The accident occurred just before 1pm in the 100 block of Front Street. The front of Lopez’s black Honda had apparently struck the back of a red Volkswagen Jetta. The airbag in the Honda had deployed and an infant car seat that was not attached to anything was in the back.
• Hellertown police arriving at the scene were told that, after the impact, the driver of the Honda jumped out of the car, grabbed the child from the back seat, and ran east yelling “My baby! My baby!”
• Police found the mother and child a short time later near the rail trail. The baby had suffered a bruise to his forehead and was taken by ambulance to St. Luke’s University Hospital in Fountain Hill to ensure that his injuries were not more serious.

Lopez was charged with endangering the welfare of children, accidents involving personal injury, marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving with a suspended license, driving without insurance, fleeing the scene of an accident, careless driving and failure to properly use a child restraint system.

She was arraigned before on-duty District Judge Patricia Romig-Passaro and committed to Northampton County Prison after she failed to post $10,000 bail.