In Fort Worth, Texas, a two-year-old girl narrowly escaped being seriously injured when a 22-year-old driver crashed through her backyard fence while she was swimming. The incident occurred on Sunday and was captured on Nest camera footage, showing the immediate danger faced by the children as debris flew towards them. Police cited the driver for reckless driving but only issued a $200 fine, prompting calls from the family for harsher punishment due to the potential tragedy that could have unfolded.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Sunday in Texas, a 22-year-old driver crashed through the fence of a backyard where children were swimming, nearly killing a two-year-old girl. Nest camera footage showed the little girl running near the pool moments before the crash. The driver's car hit the fence and sent wood flying towards the kids. The father immediately instructed his twin boys to leave the pool area while the mother picked up her youngest daughter, still in her floatation device. The incident left the family traumatized; they told CBS their children could have been severely injured or killed. The reckless driving incident highlights the dangers of speeding and the potential for tragic accidents in residential areas.
Written for “Child Nearly Killed By Hit And Run” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 13991 · logged 2026-09-16
- Sign up for our US Editor's Picks newsletter to get all the best exclusive stories
- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source
A two-year-old girl almost lost her life after a reckless driver crashed through her backyard fence while she was swimming with her siblings in Texas.
asserted
she → sign → Texas
Nest camera footage showed the little girl racing around the curve of her backyard pool just moments before the fence she passed got blown to shreds after a 22-year-old driver crashed into it on Sunday, CBS reported.
asserted
CBS → show → Sunday
The little girl, who was safely on the other side of the pool, began screaming in terror after wood came flying toward her.
asserted
wood → begin → her
Out of the pool!' the father instructed his twin boys, while his wife gathered the little girl in her arms, her buoyancy aid still on.
asserted
aid → instruct → arms
The three children cried as they exited the pool barrier, leaving behind their floats and toys in the water.
asserted
they → cry → water
They can be seen on camera running back to the safety of their home.
asserted
They → see → home
'Oh my god!' the mother can be heard crying out, as her husband went to check on the driver and his passenger.
asserted
husband → hear → driver
'Our child could have been killed,' the Van Dusen family told CBS.
uncertain
family → kill → CBS
'Our twins could have been injured or killed.
uncertain
twins → injure → ?
In a matter of seconds, our home and our backyard – places where our children should be completely safe – became a scene where we were forced to face the possibility of losing one of our children.
asserted
we → become → children
A two-year-old girl was seen running by a fence in her backyard just moments before a car crashed into it on Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas
The 22-year-old driver was cited for reckless driving, but the Van Dusen family have called for a harsher punishment
'
asserted
family → see → punishment
What happened to our family was not simply an accident.
asserted
happened → happen → family
It was a terrifying reminder of how quickly reckless driving can turn into a tragedy.'
asserted
driving → turn → tragedy
The passenger in the car was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries, while the 22-year-old driver, who has not been publicly identified, was cited for reckless driving.
asserted
who → take → driving
The family disagrees with the $200 fine, saying it was too little of a punishment for 'something this dangerous.'
'
asserted
it → disagree → something
A fence can be repaired.
asserted
fence → repair → ?
Property can be replaced.
asserted
Property → replace → ?
But a child's life cannot,' the family told the outlet.
asserted
family → tell → outlet
'We are not interested in simply pointing fingers.
asserted
We → point → fingers
We want to turn what happened to our family into meaningful change.
asserted
what → want → change
Our children were almost victims of something that should never have happened.'
asserted
that → happen → something
The family's neighbor, Toni Gunter, told CBS that she hears crashes and people driving recklessly down Heritage Trace Parkway at all hours of the day.
asserted
she → tell → day
'Every day from three o'clock until 10 o'clock, at least – I go to bed at 10, at least – for those several hours it's constant,' she told CBS.
asserted
she → go → CBS
City Councilman Charlie Lauersdorf is hoping to get a stop sign put in place within the next 30 days, he told the outlet.
asserted
he → hop → outlet
'A fence can be repaired.
asserted
fence → repair → ?
Property can be replaced.
asserted
Property → replace → ?
But a child's life cannot,' the family said
'Any time you have these new developments that just have long stretches of road with nothing to slow drivers down, it's a problem,' he said.
asserted
he → say → drivers
Lauersdorf also said the city could potentially conduct a traffic study, which could lead to the installation of a stoplight.
uncertain
which → say → stoplight
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Fort Worth Police Department for comment.
asserted
Mail → reach → comment