February 20, 2026, is a day Elizabeth Aguilar will likely never forget. Her 1-year-old son, Nicholas, sat in the back seat of her truck as she pulled out of a gas station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As Aguilar made a turn, Nicholas, who was not properly restrained in a car seat, fell out of the car. What happened next is a nightmare for any parent. Aguilar reportedly ran over her baby, who died a short time later. Nearly a month later, Aguilar is facing charges in Nicholas’ death.
Nicholas fell out of the truck onto the concrete.
According to a release from the Baton Rouge Police Department, the incident occurred near a Murphy’s gas station at around 11 a.m. As Aguilar turned, Nicholas fell out of the vehicle, and she ran him over. Emergency crews rushed the baby to an area hospital, where staff pronounced him dead a short time later.
Aguilar reportedly had two children unrestrained in her truck.
It’s not clear how the door opened or how Nicholas fell out, but it appears there were multiple mistakes made that fateful day. WBRZ reported Nicholas and another child sat in the back of her 2014 Dodge Ram pickup truck the day of Nicholas’ death. Neither child wore a seatbelt, and the mother reportedly did not have a car seat for either child. In addition, the car had child locks, but Aguilar did not engage them while she drove that day.
Following his death, the family set up a fundraiser in Nicholas’ memory.
Aguilar’s sister, Tianna Aguilar, says Nicholas’ death has caused her significant emotional and financial strain.
“My sister is going through the unimaginable loss of her 1-year-old baby. Our family is heartbroken, and we are trying to support her in every way we can during this incredibly difficult time. The sudden loss has left us all in shock, and we want to give her baby a proper funeral and burial to honor his memory and say our goodbyes with love and dignity,” she wrote.
Aguilar faces multiple charges in her son’s death.
Baton Rouge Police arrested Aguilar on March 17. She faces charges of negligent homicide, failure to use a child passenger restraint system, and violation of registration provisions. If convicted, she faces years in prison under Louisiana law.
People flooded the comments section of the police department’s Facebook page with very little sympathy for Aguilar.
“It’s a sad situation all the way around but this was completely avoidable,” one person wrote. “Mine are strapped in even if we go 5-6 minutes away. Anything could happen.”
“It’s so sad as this could have been totally avoided had the child been strapped in a car seat,” another person agrees. “I see too many people driving around with unrestrained children. My question is how does a one year old open the door to fall out.”
Some did give Aguilar grace. Like this person who wrote: “Prayers for this mother and family. Deep down I feel for her. Weather she is convicted or not, she’s paying the ultimate price. I truly believe this was an accident that she can never recover from.”
Nicholas’ death is a tragedy, but it was totally avoidable. Aguilar’s lucky she only lost one child and not both. Sadly, her son paid the ultimate price for her allegedly negligent behavior.
