HOUSTON—A Houston mother was charged with child endangerment after police said she took her two young children out on a four-wheeler and crashed the vehicle.
According to investigators, Nelli Palucho, 20, took her 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son out on her ATV on December 3, 2010.
During the outing, the ATV flipped, causing minor injuries to her son and serious injuries to her daughter.
Police said the girl suffered a facial fracture and had bleeding on the brain.
Court documents state that when investigators interviewed Palucho, she told them her kids liked to go out on the ATV, so she took them riding that day. She said her son sat in front of her, and her daughter sat behind her. But at some point during the ride, her son pulled the throttle of the vehicle, causing it to accelerate, hit a tree and flip over.
Investigators said there were multiple signs on the vehicle stating that no one under the age of 16 should operate it, and that only one person should ride at a time.
Palucho was arrested in January and later released on $4,000 bond.
