Provo drag race sends unbuckled four-year-old to the hospital

PROVO–A drag race on I-15 turned into a car wreck that sent a four-year-old to the hospital. The child was not wearing a seatbelt. 

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Andrew Battlefield told KSL Newsradio that officers heard reports of two cars racing on I-15 northbound near Provo around 7 p.m. on Saturday.

A man, a woman, and a four-year-old were in the car. 

“A mile in,” said Battlefield, “the driver of the Subaru WRX lost control and hit the right barrier a couple [of] times and then ricocheted into the left barrier.”

All three of the car’s occupants went to the hospital following the drag race. The four-year-old sustained severe injuries, but the sergeant would not reveal specifics about the child. However, Battlefield said that the child is in stable condition. 

The four-year-old should be out of the hospital in “a few days.”

Both of the adults that were in the Subaru were arrested. The female passenger is refusing to cooperate with police, according to Sergeant Battlefield.

The driver of the other car, a Dodge Charger, reportedly slowed down before driving away from the scene of the drag race. Highway patrol officers were able to track that car and arrest the driver. 

Drivers face charges

The charges here could be intense for both drivers.

“They could be charged for exhibition of speed, for reckless endangerment of a child, [or for an] unrestrained child,” said Battlefield. 

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