No charges against teen in mall parking lot accident
No charges against teen in mall parking lot accident
by Jim Walsh and Nathan Gonzalez - Jan. 4, 2010 01:03 PM
The Arizona Republic
No charges will be filed against a 16-year-old Mesa girl who accidentally ran over and killed her 17-year-old brother in the Superstition Springs Mall parking lot on Saturday, authorities said.
Nicole M. Brock, a student at Red Mountain High School, had only been driving for four months when she dropped off her brother, Dwight J. Brock Jr., 17, shortly before 9:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Dwight started jumping in front of the car Nicole was driving, forcing her to slam on the brakes. Dwight was run down and killed when Nicole was unable to stop for an unknown reason, but it is possible that she may have confused the accelerator with the brake, said Sgt. Ed Wessing, a Mesa police spokesman.
"He was horse-playing around," Wessing said. "I don't think she had any intention of goofing around."
Wessing said traffic investigators "don't believe there is any criminality on the part of the 16-year-old girl."
The tragedy underscores what should be obvious to everyone, that cars are not toys and are inherently dangerous, he said.
Nicole Brock "was devastated. She was just beside herself. This is such a tragedy," Wessing said. "Any parents with young adults driving, they need to show them this story."
Nicole is a sophomore at Red Mountain, while Dwight went there briefly but was not enrolled in Mesa Pubic Schools, said Kathy Bareiss, a district spokeswoman.
"Our hearts are there with the family today. This is a very tragic experience that no family should ever encounter," she said.
Bareiss said school counselors are available to help Nicole or any other student through the grieving process.