Kansas City woman is charged in traffic death of unborn child

A Kansas City woman has been accused of causing a head-on traffic collision that led to the death of another woman’s unborn daughter.

Jackson County prosecutors allege that 24-year-old Chelsea C. Summer was under the influence of alcohol, speeding and driving in the wrong lanes of traffic when the June 7 crash occurred on the south end of the Heart of America Bridge.

She is charged in Jackson County Circuit Court with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault and driving with a revoked license. A judge set her bond at $150,000.

Numerous witnesses told police that a Ford F-150 pickup truck allegedly driven by Summer entered the southbound lanes of the bridge and drove north. Several motorists had to take evasive action to avoid a collision before the truck slammed into another pickup truck.

The 21-year-old woman driving the second truck had to be extricated from the wreckage. She was hospitalized with broken bones and internal injuries. The next day, her daughter was stillborn. An autopsy determined that the baby was killed by blunt force trauma from the collision.

The woman is recovering from injuries that include a broken back, broken leg, broken ribs and a torn diaphragm, according to court documents.

Summer was hospitalized with serious injuries. A sample taken at the hospital showed her blood alcohol content was 0.25, more than three times the legal driving limit. According to the documents, she also had drugs, including amphetamines and marijuana, in her system.

She was taken to her first court appearance Tuesday in a wheelchair with her leg in a cast.

This story was originally published June 25, 2014 at 9:53 AM with the headline "Kansas City woman is charged in traffic death of unborn child."