DUI Hit-And-Run Leaves 3 Amish Children Injured (Kentucky)
Yesterday evening (July 24), a man (allegedly) driving under the influence hit a buggy in Bath County, Kentucky – and fled. Three Amish children were left lying on the road, injured.
From WKYT:
SHARPSBURG, Ky. (WKYT) – A Kentucky man is behind bars after an alleged hit-and-run crash with an Amish buggy.
Kentucky State Police arrested Ricardo Geronimo Salas, 21, on Thursday.
In an arrest citation, KSP says they were called to a hit-and-run crash on State Highway 11 on Thursday evening involving a Toyota Camry and an Amish buggy.
When they arrived, they found three children had been hurt in the crash. They were taken to UK hospital by Bath County ambulances for neck, back and head pain.
Salas took the time to stop and check for damage to his own vehicle – but that was apparently the extent of his concern:
In the citation, KSP says witnesses saw the driver of the Camry, identified as Salas, hit the buggy and drive up the highway. Salas then allegedly stumbled out of the car and checked for damage before continuing to drive.
Police say they found Salas at a home in Mt. Sterling later that evening, where he was then taken to a hospital in the area. Meanwhile, the car was found in Sharpsburg, covered with a tarp to conceal the damage sustained from the crash.
According to police, both Salas and his vehicle “smelled of alcohol”. He was also described as being unsteady on his feet and having bloodshot eyes. Blood test results are pending.
Salas faces seven charges, among them DUI and reckless driving.
Bath County is home to three Amish communities. The one where it appears the accident took place has over 500 Amish residents.
Additional Details – Witnesses Describe Crazy Driving
There’s some additional context which shows up in the WKYT news report (I can’t embed the video here, but it’s available at the link).
If you watch the video, you learn that “witnesses called police after seeing that man swerving and trying to pass cars on the right shoulder”.
Trying to pass on the shoulder is simply the behavior of an idiot, or a maniac (and/or a drunk person).
We also learn that the three Amish children “were left laying on the pavement and in the grass.” So it sounds like they were ejected from the buggy.
Their father was left uninjured. The three children have “neck, back and head pain.” That’s rather vague, but hopefully they will fully recover.
Based on these reports, this sounds like a guy who should be separated from his license for an extended if not permanent period of time, in addition to criminal penalties to keep him off the road.
Kentucky Hit-and-Run
Yep, lock him up b/c taking away a driver’s license means nothing to these people. He’ll simply borrow a friend’s car and continue driving. I wish there was a special prison specifically for drunk drivers.
Maybe ICE should pay this guy a visit.
Same exact thing I was thinking. I would bet he IS illegal. Years ago one driving DUI caused a friend of my daughter’s to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. His “amigos” bailed him out and he fled and was never held to account.
Kentucky drunk driver
Yes, ICE needs to get him! What a piece of garbage!!!!!
He's still a human being
He’s a human being. And a named and photographed person who hasn’t been convicted yet. There’s no sense in talking about “allegedly” and then talking in the assumption he must be guilty without further consideration.
Granted the possible lines of defence amount to things like, “Actually the facts are not as stated,” or, “He spilled alcohol in the car while his judgement was impaired from a bad fit of illness,” or, “The alcohol was given to him without his consent by others and he didn’t understand the condition he was in.” The fact that such things are POSSIBLE is why it’s important to have a trial and not presuppose guilt.
And even if he is guilty he is still a human being and we have no right to call down unmitigated vengeance on him as opposed to advocating appropriate legal punishment for the level of guilt involved.
Hope the people injured are doing all right.
Tell me you are a bleeding heart liberal without telling me you are a bleeding heart liberal. I wonder what you’d think if it was YOUR children. This is the culture, drink, drive, hurt someone, no big deal. Move to another area, change your name, and repeat. I have been watching these cretins do this all over the country. One hit a pregnant woman in North Carolina and KILLED HER, DRIVING DRUNK. Give me a &%#$$ break!
Clarification
If it was my children I at least HOPE I’d still think he was a human being who had the right to law and justice and a proportionate punishment if guilty. I am a sinner and I might fail of an appropriate response in the horror of such a moment. But the difficulty of being fair in the context of such intense grief is part of the reason why modern legal systems do not hand over an accused person to their alleged victim’s family to deal with as they choose.
The statement, “This man is entitled to a fair investigation, a fair hearing, and a fair sentence,” is not equivalent to, “It’s all right to deliberately drive drunk and end up killing people.”
To be clear, I am not excusing such offences, not in the least. People should obey the rules of the road out of respect for innocent life, and not doing so is wrong even when said people are lucky enough to get away with it. I am saying that life can prove unexpectedly complicated (the immediately obvious does occasionally prove wrong on further investigation) and suggesting that we need to be more careful about the “innocent until proved guilty in a fair hearing” rule because we’re talking about a named and recognisable person in public.
Loser!!!
I would love to meet you, just to see if you’re as big of a loser as it appears in your post!!
Get real, he’s not a “Kentucky man,” he’s either an illegal alien or an anchor baby birthed here by illegal aliens.
Hit and run
Everyone is entitled to a trial. But you know if you are in charge or not. Does not matter how you became drunk. No excuses.