Please read this; do not let it happen to you.<br /><br />Charlotte<br />An 11-year-old Statesville girl drowned when the family's vehicle slid into the Catawba River during a boat launching over the weekend, authorities said. <br />The parents of Haley McNiel tried to save their daughter from their Ford Explorer, said N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Rodney Bates. <br />About 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Deborah McNiel was backing the green Explorer down a boat ramp near the Catawba River's Lookout Dam in Iredell County, Bates said.<br />"She doesn't know what happened. She may have tried to brake -- she may have hit the gas by mistake -- she just doesn't know," Bates said. <br />Deborah McNiel managed to free herself and her 4-year-old son from the car, escaping out the driver's side window. She couldn't free her daughter, who was belted in the back driver's side seat, Bates said. <br />McNiel's father, Anthony McNiel, was in the family's 16-foot outboard. He dove in repeatedly but couldn't reach his daughter. Murky, muddy water made visibility poor. <br />The SUV rolled with the driver's side down, Bates said. Volunteer firefighters who recovered Haley's body said the girl was unbelted and may have tried to free herself.<br /><br />first question:<br />Now how many of you launch with passengers in the vehicle?<br /><br />second question:<br />How many of you STILL launch with passengers in the vehicle?
