2-year-old hit by slow-moving car left in serious condition

SALT LAKE CITY — A 2-year-old girl was taken to a hospital in critical condition after police said she was hit by a truck driving at low speed on Saturday. The driver is suspected of having been driving under the influence.

A spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Police Department said officers responded to the area of 500 North and Dexter Street just before 7 p.m., after receiving reports of a child being hit.

“Officers arrived and found a (child) conscious, alert, and breathing. Preliminary information indicates the child was accidentally hit by a slow-moving vehicle as it exited an apartment complex,” the police statement said. “We believe the child broke free from being held and ran into the (truck) as it turned.”

Law enforcement documents said the child suffered pelvic fractures and bruising to her lungs.

Police said the driver of the truck was “unaware of what had occurred,” but did return to the scene and was cooperating with police.

Initially, police did not believe the driver was driving recklessly or impaired. However, in a later update, police said further investigation suggested the driver was impaired, and was being “processed for driving while impaired.”

A probable cause statement said 55-year-old Carlos Garcia was behind the wheel of the truck that ran over the girl. Witnesses thought he didn’t notice he hit anybody.

“His back tire rolled over her completely. There wasn’t a part of the tire that was touching the ground because she was under it,” said Montaya Droegemeier, who witnessed the accident. “The mom was freaked out and scared. I was scared, my kids saw the whole thing and I just needed to make sure that baby was okay.”

Police arrived on scene, recieving Garcia’s phone number from witnesses. They asked him to return to the scene, the statement said.

“On the phone, [Garcia] was resistant to coming back to the scene but eventually arrived back after several minutes,” the statement said.

Garcia reportedly told officers that he had seen children playing in the driveway, but he “let the children move out of the way.” He said the eldest girl waived to Garcia, indicating for him to drive forward, so he did.

“[Police] asked [Garcia] if the driveway is normally smooth when he pulls out of the driveway. He stated to me that it is always smooth and never feels bumpy,” the statement said.

“I do not find it probable that [Garcia] would not have realized he ran over a child in the driveway that he himself described as a smooth drive and never bumpy,” an officer said in the statement.

Officers performed a field sobriety test on Garcia, and he “had a hard time keeping in the starting position and maintaining his balance,” the statement said. That led to him being taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Garcia is also accused of negligently operating a motor vehicle leading to serious injury, failing to remain at the scene of an accident and a driver’s license violation.

“Very lucky, [she survived]. The fact that an F150 truck was completely on top of this little girl and she made it through surgery and she’s doing good,” Droegemeier said.

The child’s mother told KSL TV that her daughter was doing “so-so.”

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Editor’s note: Police reported that the child was a 2-year-old boy, but KSL TV confirmed with witnesses and family the victim was a girl. Reporting has been updated to accurately reflect that.

Contributing: Dan Rascon, KSL TV