MILLERSVILLE, Md. — A Hagerstown grandmother has been convicted of child neglect following the death of her 7-year-old grandson.
The tragic incident took place on November 24, 2024 along I-97 in Millersville.
That's where 68-year-old Lorraine Marie O’Neill was driving with her grandson in a back car seat.
As they approached Benfield Boulevard, the child fell out of the rear passenger window landing onto I-97.
Another oncoming vehicle then struck and killed the child.
O’Neill drove 11 more miles to the area of I-695 and Route 2, before even noticing the child was missing.
She admitted to allowing the boy to play with the car's rear power window for which the child locks were not on.
"While this was undoubtedly a traumatic loss for this grandmother, it was likewise traumatic for the witnesses at the scene that night, including the first responders and the two men who pulled the child from the roadway," said Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess. "This defendant traveled eleven miles north on I-97 after the child fell from the vehicle before she realized her grandson was not inside the car. I believe that Ms. O’Neill has failed to accept responsibility for her actions, from the night of the crash to her testimony at trial which was markedly different from her original statements to investigators."
O’Neill will be sentenced on October 2. She faces up to five-years behind bars and a $5,000 fine.
