Boyle, J.
We are asked in this appeal from defendant’s conviction of criminal sexual conduct to decide whether a child’s statements, made approximately one month after the event, as related [420]*420by her parents, were properly admitted as substantive evidence under MRE 803(2) — the excited utterance exception to the hearsay rule. The statements concerned the details of the assault and the identity of her attacker.
We hold that these statements were not admissible as excited utterances under MRE 803(2). Further, in light of the substantive use of this evidence by the prosecuting attorney, it cannot be concluded that this evidence was merely corroborative. Admitting this testimony for substantive use was error. Consequently, we reverse the decision of the Court of Appeals and remand this case to the trial court for a new trial.
i
William Straight was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The victim was four years old at the time of the alleged assault. The jury’s verdict and the defendant’s conviction of second-degree criminal sexual conduct were affirmed by the Court of Appeals.
The alleged assault took place in early October, 1982, when the victim’s mother went to the bank late one night with the defendant’s wife. The mother had asked defendant, her next-door neighbor, to look in on her children during the few minutes that she expected to be away. She actually was gone for quite some time. When she arrived home, she found defendant sitting on the floor of her dining room with his legs extended and his arms around the child, who was crying. The mother asked defendant what he was doing, and why the child was out of bed. He responded that when he had looked in on the children he had found the child crying at the top of the stairs and that he had been comforting her when the mother returned.
[421]*421At trial, the mother testified that during the next three to four weeks the child had recurring nightmares and a poor appetite, experienced vomiting, and was irritable. One evening when the child vomited, approximately one month after the mother had found defendant holding the child, the mother and the child’s father took the child to a hospital where the conversation admitted as an excited utterance occurred.
The child was examined at the hospital where no physical evidence of molestation was found. When the parents and child were alone, they began questioning her about defendant. Both the mother and the child’s father testified about the conversation.1 The victim, then five years old, also testified. _
[422]*422II
This case represents the most recent example of the tension created in the trial courts and the Court of Appeals by the application of the Rules of Evidence to the unique situation of a child witness in an alleged sexual abuse case. The tension originates from the conflict between two underlying policies: a desire to protect the most vulnerable of our citizens from heinous and damaging exploita[423]*423tion, and a need to protect the accused individual against both erroneous conviction and the devastating consequences that can follow. The tension is exacerbated by an ever-growing number of such cases,2 and by what some members of the bench and bar may perceive as an overly rigid application and unfortunate effect of the Rules of Evidence in this category of cases.
The attempts to resolve this tension vary. The Court of Appeals in this case has urged us to reconsider the holding in People v Kreiner, 415 Mich 372; 329 NW2d 716 (1982). What remains consistent, however, is the perception that existing rules of evidence and procedure may not adequately deal with these cases. This case illustrates an extension of the Rules of Evidence to accommodate facts which fail to neatly fall within a recognized exception to the hearsay rule.
hi
An excited utterance is defined as: "A statement relating to a startling event or condition made while the declarant was under the stress of excitement caused by the event or condition.” MRE 803(2). Traditional justification for this rule lies in the belief that "special reliability” can be afforded a statement made while under sufficient stress or excitement because "the declarant’s powers of reflection and fabrication” are removed. McCormick, Evidence (3d ed), § 297, p 855.3 To qualify as an [424]*424excited utterance, two requirements must be satisfied. First, there must be a startling event, and, second, the resulting statement of the declarant must be made while under the excitement caused by that event.4 In People v Gee, 406 Mich 279, 282; 278 NW2d 304 (1979), this Court summarized the criteria for the excited utterance as follows:
To come within the excited utterance exception to the hearsay rule, a statement must meet three criteria: (1) it must arise out of a startling occasion;4 (2) it must be made before there has been time to contrive and misrepresent; and (3) it must relate to the circumstances of the startling occasion.
The second prong of Gee deals with the relative time, frame, i.e., the statement "must be made before there has been time to contrive and misrepresent.” Obviously this statement does not contemplate a sequence in which the utterance necessarily follows immediately on the startling event, just as it does not contemplate admission of a statement made while under control, even though made contemporaneously. Thus, Gee did not subordinate the requirements that the statement must be made while under the stress of excitement and relate to the startling event, to the time-to-contrive element of the formulation. Logically there is always time to contrive whether the statement begins as the event is observed or is made ten [425]*425minutes later. Properly understood, Gee’s requirement that the statement must "be made before there has been time to contrive and misrepresent” is simply a reformulation of the inquiry as to whether the statement was made when the witness was still under the influence of an overwhelming emotional condition.
The focus of MRE 803(2), given a startling event, is whether the declarant spoke while still under the stress caused by the startling event. Because the justification for this rule is lack of capacity to fabricate rather than the lack of time to fabricate, which is the justification for the present sense impression exception, MRE 803(1), "the period of acceptable time will frequently be considerably longer” under 803(2) than is acceptable under 803(1). 4 Weinstein, Evidence, ¶ 803(2)[01], p 803-90.
The crucial point is that the court must be able to find that the declarant’s state at the time he made the declaration ruled out the possibility of conscious reflection.
Physical factors, such as shock, unconsciousness or pain, may prolong the period in which the risk of fabrication is reduced to an acceptable minimum. The interaction of other factors may also affect the court’s determination . . . including the nature of the startling event, the character of the statement, the condition of the declarant, the identity of the declarant, and the availability of other evidence. [Weinstein, supra, pp 803-91 to 803-94.]
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Boyle, J.
We are asked in this appeal from defendant’s conviction of criminal sexual conduct to decide whether a child’s statements, made approximately one month after the event, as related [420]*420by her parents, were properly admitted as substantive evidence under MRE 803(2) — the excited utterance exception to the hearsay rule. The statements concerned the details of the assault and the identity of her attacker.
We hold that these statements were not admissible as excited utterances under MRE 803(2). Further, in light of the substantive use of this evidence by the prosecuting attorney, it cannot be concluded that this evidence was merely corroborative. Admitting this testimony for substantive use was error. Consequently, we reverse the decision of the Court of Appeals and remand this case to the trial court for a new trial.
i
William Straight was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The victim was four years old at the time of the alleged assault. The jury’s verdict and the defendant’s conviction of second-degree criminal sexual conduct were affirmed by the Court of Appeals.
The alleged assault took place in early October, 1982, when the victim’s mother went to the bank late one night with the defendant’s wife. The mother had asked defendant, her next-door neighbor, to look in on her children during the few minutes that she expected to be away. She actually was gone for quite some time. When she arrived home, she found defendant sitting on the floor of her dining room with his legs extended and his arms around the child, who was crying. The mother asked defendant what he was doing, and why the child was out of bed. He responded that when he had looked in on the children he had found the child crying at the top of the stairs and that he had been comforting her when the mother returned.
[421]*421At trial, the mother testified that during the next three to four weeks the child had recurring nightmares and a poor appetite, experienced vomiting, and was irritable. One evening when the child vomited, approximately one month after the mother had found defendant holding the child, the mother and the child’s father took the child to a hospital where the conversation admitted as an excited utterance occurred.
The child was examined at the hospital where no physical evidence of molestation was found. When the parents and child were alone, they began questioning her about defendant. Both the mother and the child’s father testified about the conversation.1 The victim, then five years old, also testified. _
[422]*422II
This case represents the most recent example of the tension created in the trial courts and the Court of Appeals by the application of the Rules of Evidence to the unique situation of a child witness in an alleged sexual abuse case. The tension originates from the conflict between two underlying policies: a desire to protect the most vulnerable of our citizens from heinous and damaging exploita[423]*423tion, and a need to protect the accused individual against both erroneous conviction and the devastating consequences that can follow. The tension is exacerbated by an ever-growing number of such cases,2 and by what some members of the bench and bar may perceive as an overly rigid application and unfortunate effect of the Rules of Evidence in this category of cases.
The attempts to resolve this tension vary. The Court of Appeals in this case has urged us to reconsider the holding in People v Kreiner, 415 Mich 372; 329 NW2d 716 (1982). What remains consistent, however, is the perception that existing rules of evidence and procedure may not adequately deal with these cases. This case illustrates an extension of the Rules of Evidence to accommodate facts which fail to neatly fall within a recognized exception to the hearsay rule.
hi
An excited utterance is defined as: "A statement relating to a startling event or condition made while the declarant was under the stress of excitement caused by the event or condition.” MRE 803(2). Traditional justification for this rule lies in the belief that "special reliability” can be afforded a statement made while under sufficient stress or excitement because "the declarant’s powers of reflection and fabrication” are removed. McCormick, Evidence (3d ed), § 297, p 855.3 To qualify as an [424]*424excited utterance, two requirements must be satisfied. First, there must be a startling event, and, second, the resulting statement of the declarant must be made while under the excitement caused by that event.4 In People v Gee, 406 Mich 279, 282; 278 NW2d 304 (1979), this Court summarized the criteria for the excited utterance as follows:
To come within the excited utterance exception to the hearsay rule, a statement must meet three criteria: (1) it must arise out of a startling occasion;4 (2) it must be made before there has been time to contrive and misrepresent; and (3) it must relate to the circumstances of the startling occasion.
The second prong of Gee deals with the relative time, frame, i.e., the statement "must be made before there has been time to contrive and misrepresent.” Obviously this statement does not contemplate a sequence in which the utterance necessarily follows immediately on the startling event, just as it does not contemplate admission of a statement made while under control, even though made contemporaneously. Thus, Gee did not subordinate the requirements that the statement must be made while under the stress of excitement and relate to the startling event, to the time-to-contrive element of the formulation. Logically there is always time to contrive whether the statement begins as the event is observed or is made ten [425]*425minutes later. Properly understood, Gee’s requirement that the statement must "be made before there has been time to contrive and misrepresent” is simply a reformulation of the inquiry as to whether the statement was made when the witness was still under the influence of an overwhelming emotional condition.
The focus of MRE 803(2), given a startling event, is whether the declarant spoke while still under the stress caused by the startling event. Because the justification for this rule is lack of capacity to fabricate rather than the lack of time to fabricate, which is the justification for the present sense impression exception, MRE 803(1), "the period of acceptable time will frequently be considerably longer” under 803(2) than is acceptable under 803(1). 4 Weinstein, Evidence, ¶ 803(2)[01], p 803-90.
The crucial point is that the court must be able to find that the declarant’s state at the time he made the declaration ruled out the possibility of conscious reflection.
Physical factors, such as shock, unconsciousness or pain, may prolong the period in which the risk of fabrication is reduced to an acceptable minimum. The interaction of other factors may also affect the court’s determination . . . including the nature of the startling event, the character of the statement, the condition of the declarant, the identity of the declarant, and the availability of other evidence. [Weinstein, supra, pp 803-91 to 803-94.]
Few could quarrel with the conclusion that a sexual assault is a startling event.5 The difficulty in this case arises because the statements at issue were made approximately one month after the [426]*426alleged assault, immediately after a medical examination of the child’s pelvic area, and after repeated questioning by her parents. Under these circumstances, it simply cannot be concluded that the statements were made "while the declarant was under the stress of excitement caused by the event or conditionCertainly the declarant was under stress, but one cannot safely say that this stress resulted from the alleged assault rather than from a combination of the medical examination and repeated questioning.6
The prosecution argues that should we find the statements at issue inadmissible under MRE 803(2) we should nonetheless hold that the statement of a child should be admissible to corroborate the child’s trial testimony.7 We are unwilling to do so in the context of this case. The hearsay testimony of the parents was not offered merely to corroborate the child’s testimony, but rather was offered and argued for its substantive worth as the prosecution’s closing argument clearly reveals:
And ladies and gentlemen, I would suggest to [427]*427you that that was what was happening on that night in question that the statements made by [R_] at the hospital can be considered by you and even if she hasn’t said on the stand what happened as she did yesterday, she just clammed up and said, "I don’t remember,” or, "I don’t want to say anything,” you can still find that the defendant is guilty merely from the testimony that the mother gave as to the information given to her and to the father as to what she said in the hospital.
These comments establish that the parents’ testimony was presented to the jury without limitation as substantive proof of defendant’s guilt.8
The admission of this evidence being erroneous, we must determine whether a miscarriage of justice has resulted. MCL 769.26; MSA 28.1096. Our inquiry is to the "effect the error had or reasonably may be taken to have had upon the jury’s decision.” Kotteakos v United States, 328 US 750, 764; 66 S Ct 1239; 90 L Ed 1557 (1946). To determine whether the defendant was so prejudiced that reversal is required, we evaluate the prejudicial effect of testimony in the light of other competent evidence. People v Kregger, 335 Mich 457; 56 NW2d 349 (1953). In light of the emphasis placed on this evidence by the prosecution, we cannot safely conclude that the error did not have substantial influence on the jury’s result. Although the child testified at trial regarding the facts related by her parents, these facts were denied by the defendant. When viewed as a one-to-one credibility contest between the child and defendant, the reinforcement provided by the people’s hearsay [428]*428evidence may have tipped the scales toward a guilty verdict. In any event, upon review of the whole record, we conclude that the error was such that failure to grant the requested relief would be inconsistent with substantial justice.
iv
Wigmore summarized the general rules regarding admission of out-of-court statements by the victim of a sexual offense as follows: 1) the fact of complaint, including the time and place, but not the identity of the perpetrator, is admissible through third-party testimony in the case in chief,9 2) the details of the complaint, by the majority rule, are not admissible as substantive evidence unless, 3) they come within a hearsay exception such as excited utterance or a res gestae or tender years exception (where recognized), and 4) the statement may be admitted to support the complainant’s credibility where the rules of the jurisdiction would otherwise allow use of a prior consistent statement in rehabilitation. See 4 Wigmore, Evidence (Chadbourn rev), §§ 1134-1138, pp 297-312.10
[429]*429This Court long ago struck a balance. between the competing policy interests found in child sexual abuse cases and created a special hearsay exception. In People v Gage, 62 Mich 271; 28 NW 835 (1886), the Court observed the uniform rule that the fact of complaint is admissible in the case in chief in a trial for sexual assault,11 and recognized a special exception for the admission of a third party’s testimony of the details of the complaint where the "party outraged is of tender years, and her silence is the direct consequence of fears of chastisement induced by threats of the perpetrator of the wrong.” Id. at 274; People v Baker, 251 Mich 322, 324-325; 232 NW 381 (1930). What was to become known as the "tender-years exception” was limited to forcible rape cases, it being determined that except for the most extreme offense of rape the admission of such evidence would upset the balance of competing interests and allow the victim "to make corroborative evidence upon his own statement to a third party, and of which rule evilly-disposed persons would be likely to take advantage.” People v Hicks, 98 Mich 86, 90; 56 NW 1102 (1893).
[430]*430Thus, in sex abuse cases involving children, the State of Michigan permitted third-party testimony in the case in chief of the fact of the complaint and the details of the complaint where the Gage conditions were met. While there is little case authority in Michigan, case law suggests that third-party testimony is admissible to rehabilitate where the impeachment of a child victim amounted to a claim of recent fabrication, or a claim of bias or interest, People v Hamp, 110 Mich App 92; 312 NW2d 175 (1981).
In People v Kreiner, supra, this Court held that the tender-years exception did not survive the adoption of the Michigan Rules of Evidence, barring the use of this theory to admit third-party testimony of the details of the offense. Use of third-party testimony to rehabilitate the impeached child has also been limited by the apparent requirement that the impeachment must amount to a suggestion of recent fabrication or contrivance and that the prior statement must have been made at a time when there was no motive to fabricate. People v Washington, 100 Mich App 628, 632-633; 300 NW2d 347 (1980). See, e.g., Cunningham v State, 100 Nev 396; 683 P2d 500 (1984) (impeachment by a suggestion that the victim’s testimony was influenced by the mother and by demonstration that prior to the acts in question the victim was jealous of the attention paid by the defendant to the victim’s sister; a prior consistent statement was admissible to rebut a charge of improper influence).
Our review of cases on application for leave to appeal in the wake of Kreiner has shown increasing resort to the excited utterance exception to admit a young child’s statements. The problems inherent in sex offense cases involving a young child cannot, however, be resolved by stretching [431]*431the excited utterance exception so far that its intended purpose is abused.
It could be observed that adoption of the Michigan Rules of Evidence did not abrogate case law which permitted the use of prior consistent statements for limited purposes,12 People v Edwards, 139 Mich App 711, 715; 362 NW2d 775 (1984), or that a preferred approach to the problem is that taken by the Federal Rules of Evidence which define certain prior statements as nonhearsay.13 [432]*432Some courts have relaxed the rules for corroboration testimony by holding that use of a prior consistent statement for rehabilitation may be permissible even where the statement was made after the motive to fabricate had already arisen, see Nusunginya v State, 730 P2d 172 (Alas App, 1986), People v Koon, 724 P2d 1367 (Colo App, 1986), and cases cited in anno: Admissibility of impeached witness’ prior consistent statement— Modern state criminal cases, 58 ALR4th 1015, 1062-1065. Several states have enacted statutes which provide for the use of videotaped testimony of the child witness.14 Others have enacted hearsay exceptions designed specifically for prosecutions of child sexual abuse.15 Wisconsin has used the catchall residual hearsay exception to admit hearsay statements of a child. Bertrang v State, 50 Wis 2d 702; 184 NW2d 867 (1971).
We have yet to take steps specifically directed at the unique evidentiary problems which arise in the prosecution of child criminal sexual conduct cases. While we have declined the prosecution’s invitation to overrule Kreiner, supra, we agree with the observation that this case illustrates the [433]*433need for this Court to consider an amendment of the rules. The proposed court rule which we have ordered published today is directed at this problem.
v
The trial court erred in admitting certain hearsay statements to the substantial prejudice of the defendant. The defendant’s conviction is reversed, and the case is remanded to the circuit court for a new trial.
Riley, C.J., and Brickley, Cavanagh, and Griffin, JJ., concurred with Boyle, J.
Levin and Archer, JJ. We concur except for part iv.