Girl trying to save sick pet dies in stolen car crash
Sometimes, the news I find is just sad.
A 15-year-old girl died Tuesday in a dramatic, ill-advised, effort to save her cancer-stricken dog from euthanasia.
Taylor Mae Stinchcomb, 15, died trying to prevent her dog from being euthanized.
According to an article in the Chicago Sun Times, Taylor Mae Stinchcomb, 15, stole her family’s 2003 Dodge minivan and fled her Chicago-area home with her ill dog, Romulus, and a female friend, also 15.
When Taylor became too upset to drive, her unnamed friend took the wheel. Moments later, the friend lost control of the vehicle and crashed into several trees and a telephone pole.
The dog was thrown from the vehicle and died immediately. Taylor died of her injuries at a local hospital. The driver escaped almost without a scratch.
Drugs or alcohol were not a factor in the crash, police said.
Police are not sure where the girls were headed or what they planned to do.
Taylor picked the dog out while visiting an animal shelter on her 13th birthday.
A high school freshman, Taylor is survived by two sisters, a brother and her parents, Bill and LeeAnn Stinchcomb.
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95 comments Add your comment
Jean Sturgeon
June 24th, 2011
7:21 am
This is so sad, for her, her dog and her friend who is now in trouble herself. My thoughts and prayers are with her family as well as her friend’s family. She was a beautiful young lady.
DamnAnimalLovers
June 24th, 2011
7:23 am
Teach your children to love ppl more than they love some ill-fated crappy dog… Pun intended.
Thoth Amon
June 24th, 2011
7:31 am
I have two children and if one of them took the car (without permission, apparently) there is NO WAY I would consider it “stolen”. Shame on the media for being insensitive, heartless morons for saying she “stole” the family car. And if the parents said it, they’re as insensitive, heartless as the media.
How about “took the car without permission”? See? That only took my five seconds to come up with and I’m not a news writer!
Editor
June 24th, 2011
7:42 am
@Thoth: “Stole the car” uses fewer words, a prime concern when space is limited (assuming you’re coming from a newspaper writing point of view”. Your version has two extra word that are very long.
Speaking of editing: “Taylor had been picked the dog…”?
Editor
June 24th, 2011
7:43 am
And two typos in my response. 1. Take foot. 2. Insert in mouth.
lauren
June 24th, 2011
7:43 am
Thoth Amon… IT IS WHAT IT IS. “took the car w/o permission” its called theft. If she hadnt stolen the car, she’d still be alive. Poor baby,bless her heart. But if she took it without permission, by DEFINITION she stole the car. Just b/c the situation is tragic, that is no excuse to sugarcoat something so simple… is that all you got out of the article? Sensitivity isnt what the media is for… they just give you the facts. I’ll bet the police report says theft as well… cause thats what it was.
btw: pray for the friend that survived
Tragic
June 24th, 2011
7:49 am
Prayers are with the families.
KDont
June 24th, 2011
7:54 am
My 13 year old took our car without permission. I can assure you, she stole it. She hit a house but thankfully they all made it out ok. Of course she was grounded for 8 years and now that she is 21, I have finally allowed her to get her license.
Jaimac
June 24th, 2011
7:54 am
This situation is unfortuanate for all parties involved. There apparently were some misplaced priorities and not a lot of reality. I can understand that the teen was upset that her pet was going to be euthanized. However, her parents failed in teaching her that death is apart of life.
DamnAnimalLovers
June 24th, 2011
8:01 am
Wonder if she’s in “doggie” heaven or people heaven? Just food for thought for all of you naive, God-fearing idiots who really believe there’s such a place high above the cloud for the dearly departed… lmao