New Jersey man charged in babysitter's death
OTSELIC – The body of a 12-year-old girl who was “run over” by a pick-up truck was not taken for medical care until several hours after the incident transpired over the weekend.
George Ford Jr., 42, of Piscataway, N.J., was charged Sunday with first-degree felony reckless endangerment after he allegedly struck Shyanne A. Somers, 12, Rt. 26, South Otselic, causing severe head trauma and massive internal injuries.
The cause of death has been reported as a result of the Ford’s 2004 white Ford extended cab 4x4 crushing the victim.
The accident took place Saturday at approximately midnight, but the victim wasn’t transported to the hospital in Norwich until five hours later at 5 a.m. Sunday. “He reported he got lost on the way to the hospital and stated he was traumatized by the events,” said Lt. James E. Lloyd of the Sheriff’s Office.
“The kind of injuries she sustained were substantial, and it seems likely she died immediately, but we won’t be sure until the medical test and exams are complete,” said Lloyd.
Police say Ford was taking Somers home from his seasonal residence on Rt. 26 in South Otselic at approximately 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Somers was the defendant’s baby-sitter and neighbor, said police.
On his way to take Somers home after baby-sitting, Ford allegedly stopped on Will Warner Road to check on his horses. According to Ford, Somers also got out of the truck.
“While turning around his truck in a reckless manner, the defendant struck the victim with the front driver side bumper. The victim was standing on the south shoulder of the Will Warner Road when she was run over by the defendant’s vehicle,” said the Sheriff’s Office in a press release.
An autopsy performed Sunday at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton revealed the girl died of severe head trauma and massive internal injuries, Lloyd said. Somers was pronounced dead at Chenango Memorial Hospital at Norwich immediately after arriving. “She had died several hours earlier; they simply confirmed it,” said Lloyd.
The Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police will be continuing to investigate the incident. Investigators are also waiting for the results from the toxicology report and the further results from the autopsy.
Somers’ Otselic Valley Elementary Principal Nancy Gallaher said, “She was a sixth grader, going into seventh. She cared deeply about others. When talking to teachers, she always asked how the teacher was doing first in a conversation. She was bubbly. She cared deeply about her brothers, her mom and her dad. Family was everything to her. She loved them tremendously, and I’m sure this is a tremendous loss for them.”
Grief counselors will be available at both Otselic Valley Schools for anyone who may need assistance in coping with this recent loss. Call either the elementary school at (315) 837-4407 or the high school (315) 653-7218 for an appointment. Counselors will be available today at both schools, said officials.
Deputies are urging anyone with information to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 337-2000. “We’re very interested to know if anyone saw the white truck that night,” said Lloyd.
Ford is currently being held at the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $100,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in Town of Otselic Court at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Sun Staff Writer Jessica Lewis contributed to this report.
George Ford Jr., 42, of Piscataway, N.J., was charged Sunday with first-degree felony reckless endangerment after he allegedly struck Shyanne A. Somers, 12, Rt. 26, South Otselic, causing severe head trauma and massive internal injuries.
The cause of death has been reported as a result of the Ford’s 2004 white Ford extended cab 4x4 crushing the victim.
The accident took place Saturday at approximately midnight, but the victim wasn’t transported to the hospital in Norwich until five hours later at 5 a.m. Sunday. “He reported he got lost on the way to the hospital and stated he was traumatized by the events,” said Lt. James E. Lloyd of the Sheriff’s Office.
“The kind of injuries she sustained were substantial, and it seems likely she died immediately, but we won’t be sure until the medical test and exams are complete,” said Lloyd.
Police say Ford was taking Somers home from his seasonal residence on Rt. 26 in South Otselic at approximately 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Somers was the defendant’s baby-sitter and neighbor, said police.
On his way to take Somers home after baby-sitting, Ford allegedly stopped on Will Warner Road to check on his horses. According to Ford, Somers also got out of the truck.
“While turning around his truck in a reckless manner, the defendant struck the victim with the front driver side bumper. The victim was standing on the south shoulder of the Will Warner Road when she was run over by the defendant’s vehicle,” said the Sheriff’s Office in a press release.
An autopsy performed Sunday at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton revealed the girl died of severe head trauma and massive internal injuries, Lloyd said. Somers was pronounced dead at Chenango Memorial Hospital at Norwich immediately after arriving. “She had died several hours earlier; they simply confirmed it,” said Lloyd.
The Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police will be continuing to investigate the incident. Investigators are also waiting for the results from the toxicology report and the further results from the autopsy.
Somers’ Otselic Valley Elementary Principal Nancy Gallaher said, “She was a sixth grader, going into seventh. She cared deeply about others. When talking to teachers, she always asked how the teacher was doing first in a conversation. She was bubbly. She cared deeply about her brothers, her mom and her dad. Family was everything to her. She loved them tremendously, and I’m sure this is a tremendous loss for them.”
Grief counselors will be available at both Otselic Valley Schools for anyone who may need assistance in coping with this recent loss. Call either the elementary school at (315) 837-4407 or the high school (315) 653-7218 for an appointment. Counselors will be available today at both schools, said officials.
Deputies are urging anyone with information to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 337-2000. “We’re very interested to know if anyone saw the white truck that night,” said Lloyd.
Ford is currently being held at the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $100,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in Town of Otselic Court at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Sun Staff Writer Jessica Lewis contributed to this report.
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