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An 11-month old baby is recovering from injuries after an out-of-control drone crashed and debris hit her on the head.
The mother of the child was pushing her daughter in a stroller along Marengo Avenue near Union Street in Pasadena around 6:30 p.m. last Saturday, when she saw a quadcopter drone crash to the ground, reports CBS LA. As her daughter began to cry, she looked down to see a large knot and a cut on the top of the baby's head allegedly caused by 'flying shrapnel' from the crashed drone.
The owner of the drone—a 24-year-old whose identity has not been released—ran over to the site of the crash to find the drone, the injured baby and, likely, a very unhappy mom. The pilot explained to police that he had been flying his drone overhead at an event at Pasadena City Hall—about a block away—when he lost control of it.
The baby and mother were transported to nearby Huntington Memorial Hospital, where the child was treated for the injuries and released. The mother was unharmed.
Lt. Mike Ingram of the Pasadena Police Department tells CBS LA that drone operators need to follow safety guidelines, "Not flying them over congested streets or crowds, flying them at altitudes that wouldn't interfere with regular aviation."
Authorities are now determining if the drone operator violated any laws. "This was forwarded to the FAA for their review. It could result in a criminal prosecution or it could result in civil fines," Ingram explains. "Similar to what happens with laser strikes, they could be fined up to $10,000," referring to when pilots are distracted by people using laser pointers.
Drones and drone operators have come under increasing scrutiny lately as some jerks have been flying them too close to raging wildfires, neighbors, pop stars and now, babies. Of course, if used properly and sensibly, they also help make some pretty cool videos.
