NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A 3-year-old rescued from a car driven into a lake is making slow but steady progress in the hospital.
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Police say the driver, 23-year-old Nafeeza Samad, was drunk and speeding when she crashed into the lake in Spalding County.
She’s 3-year-old Hailey’s godmother and was supposed be taking the child out to get pullups. The child was trapped for several minutes in the submerged vehicle.
The mother, Tamika Watson, told Channel 2’s Tom Regan that her daughter is getting better but has a long way to go.
Doctors moved the child out of the intensive care unit, and she’s now receiving care at Children’s Hospital of Atlanta at Scottish Rite in Sandy Springs.
She’s not talking yet, but she’s responding to her mom, and her vitals and MRIs look good.
“They are expecting her to make a full recovery, but it will take time,” Watson said.
A deputy and a firefighter jumped into the lake and broke a window to pull Hailey out. Others worked to revive her.
“The child was not breathing on the scene and did not have a pulse, was in full cardiac arrest, and they were able to revive the child on the scene,” said Chief Mike Byrd with Spalding County Fire and Rescue.
The mother called the situation with her friend Samad “really unfortunate.”
“I don’t want to speak to her. I don’t want to see her,” she said. “I actually think she deserves like in prison, to be honest.”
Hailey’s stepfather, Lee Stanton said it is nothing short of a miracle she survived. The couple said they are focused on their little girl’s recovery and grateful for everyone’s help, especially the first responders who saved her.
The family started a GoFundMe to help with Hailey’s recovery expenses.
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