KTLA reports a 12-year-old boy died in a tragic and violent crash caused by his father, who is believed to have been DUI at the time. The boy was just one day away from his 13th birthday.
Authorities say the fatal crash happened along the 57 Freeway in Pomona early Saturday morning. Investigators with the California Highway Patrol said that the unidentified man driving a red two-door sedan lost control of his vehicle and rolled the car off the roadway. The vehicle landed in a dirt area near Temple Avenue.
The California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters responded to the scene. Paramedics rushed one man and a 12-year-old boy to Pomona Valley Hospital. In a statement, a Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesperson told reporters that the boy was in critical condition.
Sadly, the boy succumbed to injuries he suffered in the crash.
The boy’s father was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
A family member told KTLA’s Erin Myers that the boy and his father were returning from a concert to celebrate his upcoming birthday.
“My sister has experienced every parent’s worst nightmare, and that’s the fact of having to bury your own child, “the child’s uncle said.
The family, devastated by the tragedy, gathered near the crash scene to sing happy birthday and mourn the boy’s loss.
“If alcohol or any substance did play a factor in this tragic event, then we strongly feel that he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” the boy’s uncle said.
