A Bakersfield man was arrested on suspicion of cruelty to a child likely to produce great bodily injury after a 7-year-old girl was thrown from a Honda SUV following a crash Saturday on Interstate 5.
The child sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the crash, according to California Highway Patrol officials.
CHP officers are investigating the 1:10 p.m. collision that involved a 2003 Honda CR-V and a 2011 Toyota 4-Runner that were both traveling south on I-5.
Neftali Acevedo Saenz, 35, was driving north of Lyons Avenue, where he allegedly made “an unsafe lane change,” according to a CHP report of the incident, which prompted the right front end of the CR-V to crash into the left rear of the 4-Runner.
The Honda CR-V overturned and a girl was ejected from the vehicle, the report notes. She was transferred to Northridge Hospital with major injuries.
Officers indicated the girl was not properly secured using the Honda’s vehicle-safety devices, which prompted Saenz’s arrest.
Drugs and alcohol are not suspected as factors in the crash, according to a preliminary report of the incident. There were eight people involved in the crash, but no other injuries were reported.
Any witnesses or anyone with further information can contact Officer J. Nichols at the CHP’s Newhall area office at 661-600-1600.
