Dallas Coburn holds his daughter after his motorcycle crashed (KDKA/YouTube).
A man in Pennsylvania is accused of crashing his motorcycle with his daughter riding on the gas tank, trapping her underneath, and then taking her out of the hospital before she was medically cleared.
Dallas Coburn, 27, faces a slew of charges for the April 13 incident, including endangering the welfare of a child, DUI, making terroristic threats with the intent to terrorize another, recklessly endangering another person, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
Court records reviewed by Law&Crime also show that Coburn is charged with riding a motorcycle improperly, operating a vehicle without a valid inspection, giving false information, and interfering with a driver.
On April 13, Coburn was riding his motorcycle with his 7-year-old daughter sitting in front on the gas tank, the Greene Washington Regional Police Department told Pittsburgh CBS affiliate KDKA. They were on Jefferson Avenue in Canton Township, which lies just southwest of the Steel City.
Video of the crash shows two vehicles slowing down on the road as the motorcycle speeds up behind them. As the motorcycle driver appears to attempt to brake, the motorcycle falls onto its side, skids, and then spins, apparently trapping Coburn's daughter underneath.
A 911 dispatch call obtained by the local outlet captured the harrowing moments that came after.
"Motorcycle laid down on the roadway," the dispatcher says. "Two riders, one is a child. … Child is screaming."
Coburn reportedly jumped up from the motorcycle and screamed at the driver of the SUV that was in front of him. "What the f— is wrong with you," he appears to yell before placing his daughter back on the motorcycle and allegedly threatening the other driver.
Other vehicles stopped by the side of the road to see whether anyone needed help. Coburn left before authorities arrived, putting his daughter in another person's vehicle before leaving the scene on his bike, police said.
The child was brought to an area hospital, where Coburn also was, and officers spoke with him. He allegedly admitted to drinking earlier, showed signs of intoxication, and refused to do a blood test. Coburn is said to have then left the hospital with his daughter before she was medically cleared to leave.
"It's amazing that this girl didn't suffer more injuries than what she did. She was very lucky, very lucky to have survived this without being hospitalized for a period of time," Greene Washington Regional Police Chief William DeForte told KDKA. "The suspect did not have a motorcycle license, no insurance, no inspection, a child on the gas tank. It's a recipe for disaster."
A warrant is out for Coburn's arrest.
Comments