The Bakersfield Californian, a newspaper, reported Monday that an Arvin man was arrested by the California Highway Patrol Saturday afternoon on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, as well as other offenses related to driving under the influence (DUI).
The 31-year-old man entered his 2019 Chevy Traverse around 4:00 p.m. to check on his goats, located in the southeastern portion of his property near the corner of Sunset Blvd and South Edison Road in Arvin, according to police investigators. The vehicle was parked in front of his house and the man didn’t see a 2-year-old playing in his driveway in front of the vehicle. He began driving forward without seeing the boy and ran over him.
The victim sustained major head injuries and was taken by ambulance to Kern Medical Hospital. He was pronounced dead at the hospital due to his injuries. Police took the driver into custody after determining he was allegedly under the influence and charged him with multiple felonies including vehicular manslaughter. The goats were presumably unharmed by the incident.
This accident, sadly, is a stark reminder of the importance of confirming no children or other potential victims are in front of your vehicle before beginning to drive. The accident remains under investigation and witnesses or those with more information should contact the California Highway Patrol.
