A 4-year-old boy in Indiana was killed and two others injured after a driver ran a red light while speeding, according to authorities.
On May 7, 4-year-old Alan Marcelo Salas-Garcia was hit by a Dodge Charger while riding in a trailer seat attached to his father’s bicycle in Indianapolis, as reported by FOX 59, WTHR, and The Indianapolis Star.
According to an IMPD spokesperson, the driver was speeding east on Raymond Street around 9:15 p.m. local time when he ran the red light on State Avenue.
The car then jumped the curb and came to a stop in the grass. Police said the driver eventually fled on foot.” The bicyclist was in the crosswalk,” IMPD Night Watch Captain Don Weilhammer told Fox 59. “[He] had the walk symbol.”
“The driver of the other vehicle hit by the Charger had a green light. So the bicyclist was well out, almost at the median crossing,” Weilhammer said. “So, it wasn’t like they were trying to beat the light. It had been solid red for quite some time, allowing the light to turn green. The other car was clearly out in the intersection as well.
“The Star reported that Alan’s father, Cristobal Salas, was critically injured. The Dodge also collided with a Honda, whose driver had a green light at the time of the crash.
Alan was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead at around 10 p.m. On May 8, the father’s family confirmed to the Star that he is in stable condition.
According to the Star, IMPD officers locked down nearby neighborhoods in an attempt to apprehend the driver, with drones and police dogs assisting in the search. After four hours, the driver had yet to be found, and the Star reported that no arrests had been made by May 9.
The Salas’ friends and neighbors, including the liquor store manager whose security cameras captured footage of the crash, spoke out about how much the incident has affected the community.”The Charger was flying… “They didn’t even attempt to stop,” Tommy Jacob, general manager of nearby Quality Liquor, told the Star.”I have not stopped crying since yesterday. It’s simply awful.”
Alan’s 17-year-old brother also spoke out about his death, telling the Star, “I still can’t believe he’s gone.”Other residents told the newspaper that they hope the city takes steps to make the neighborhood safer for pedestrians.
“I couldn’t believe what had happened to them. “They’re like family,” Greg Howard, one of Salas’ neighbors, told the Star.”It’s like a highway over there,” he said about East Raymond Street. “People are constantly flying through it, making it unsafe for people to cross those roads safely.”
“All of this could have been avoided if we had followed the speed limit and paid attention to the lights,” Weilhammer said to FOX 59. “Slow down, we have two families that will undoubtedly be affected by this tragedy. Everything could have been avoided if they hadn’t been speeding and ignored the red light.”
