Hudson triplets testify about death of sister in crash

They were playing tag and 5-year-old Delaney Rossman, one of a set of triplets, was "it."

As the children enjoyed their game, Delaney's sister Isabella looked up to see the lights of a vehicle headed in their direction.

Within moments, Isabella testified in court today, the vehicle plowed into the children, injuring her and several others. She said she saw Delaney lying on the ground, not breathing.

"I remember seeing someone helping her," Isabella said, "but she still wasn't breathing."

Delaney died that night in November 2010. Betty-Jo Tagerson of Hudson, the driver of the Jeep Grand Cherokee that reportedly hit Delaney and the other children, is on trial this week on vehicular homicide and other charges.

Today, the two surviving triplets and their mother testified about the day that changed their lives.

Isabella, now 7, was asked how many sisters she has.

"Now I have two," Isabella said. "I used to have three."

Tagerson began sobbing at the defense table during the girl's testimony. Judge Michael Andrews stopped the proceedings and asked the jury to leave the room. The jury returned a few minutes later after Tagerson had composed herself.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, just after 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5, 2010, Tagerson was arguing with her boyfriend in her front yard on King Manor Drive.

Tagerson got into her Jeep Grand Cherokee and sped away before losing control of the SUV and striking a mailbox, a parked truck and four of the children, FHP reported. A neighbor, Marissa Manuli, then 9, was also playing in the yard that day.

Marissa, who also testified, said some of her front teeth were broken in the accident.

Tagerson was thrown from the SUV, which continued across the street and into the driveway of the triplets' home, where it smashed into the family's minivan, the FHP report said.

The other triplet, Gabrielle, testified she just remembers "a big black spot" and she woke up later in a hospital with a broken leg in a cast. She also had to wear a neck brace.

Tagerson's attorney, Dennis Watson, did not cross examine either Isabella or Gabrielle.

In testifying in her own defense, Tagerson acknowledged she had argued with her boyfriend and left her house because she wanted to get away for awhile, but she said she remembers nothing about the accident.

"I put my foot on (the gas pedal) to go forward and then I passed out," Tagerson said.

She said she had never blacked out before, but said she later was treated by a doctor for blackouts. Under questioning from Assistant State Attorney Chris Sprowls, she said she had several doctor visits after the accident without mentioning any problem with blackouts.

The girls' mother, Danielle Malm, testified that the evening of the accident she was inside preparing a birthday cake for a niece when she heard a loud bang.

"It was a really loud crash," Malm said. "I said to my husband, 'What was that?' Within seconds I heard the second crash."

She ran outside to see the Jeep crashed into her minivan. She frantically looked around for her children and saw them across the street. Her 10-year-old daughter Victoria and Isabella were screaming.

Gabrielle was screaming, too, and was on the ground, she said.

"Delaney was not screaming," Malm said.

She said that she tried to perform CPR on her daughter, but she was not responsive. Nearby were her daughter's shoes.

"She was knocked out of her shoes," Malm said.

Malm testified that two or three weeks before the accident, Tagerson and a few other people were speeding on the street while the children were outside playing soccer. All of the vehicles were going to Tagerson's house so Malm said she walked down the street to complain.

"I said, 'You guys need to slow the hell down. There are kids in the road,' " Malm said.

She said she talked to someone other than Tagerson, but could see her in the doorway and she said Tagerson nodded.

John Murdoch, a forensic engineer who is an expert in accident reconstruction, said his investigation indicates the driver of the Jeep floored it when the vehicle first started.

"Whoever was driving that vehicle was attempting to accelerate very hard," he testified.

Murdoch said one bald tire and another that was nearly bald contributed to the vehicle fishtailing. A broken door latch caused the driver's side door to open and that's why Tagerson was ejected, he said.

Tagerson said the door latch had been a problem for about two weeks. She used a bungee cord tied to the passenger's side door to keep it closed, but neglected to do that the day of the accident, she said.

Tagerson is charged with vehicular homicide, culpable negligence manslaughter and two counts of reckless driving with serious bodily injury. She faces a maximum possible sentence of 25 years in prison.