TAVARES, Florida: After hitting and killing a 2-year-old boy who was riding a tricycle, police say the 19-year-old was taken into custody on Monday night. Det. Courtney Sullivan of the Tavares Police Department stated, “Unfortunately, we lost an innocent soul, and a family is just grieving the loss of a child that has so much more life to live.”
At approximately 7:15 p.m., Tavares Police Department officers responded to a call in the Oak Bend area. Police claimed that Joshua Montero is being charged with DUI manslaughter.
According to an arrest report, Montero was driving his truck too fast at the time of the collision. The child’s parents informed the police that their children were riding bikes in front of the house while they were in the driveway. They watched Montero drive down their street, a report claims.
Truck hit in the precise moment
“They saw the truck come into their extremely short dead-end street and start to speed up, so they all started yelling at it to slow down. The truck hit this helpless child at that precise moment, according to Sullivan.
According to the authorities, the child was then struck and pulled a short distance. Montero remained where he was. His eyes were hazy and red, and the police said that he smelled strongly of alcohol.
Montero allegedly overshot the legal limit for a person under the age of 21. They thought he was drunker when he hit the young youngster because hours had passed. They said that his emotions and priorities, which are described as “scattered,” were among the other indicators that suggested damage.
“He’s worried about whether or not he can get his phone from his vehicle, or he could take things from his vehicle versus the fact that they’re doing CPR on a child,” Sullivan said.
According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving Central Florida, this tragedy occurs much too frequently. “It’s really devastating,” MADD Central Florida program manager Erynn Sendrick said.
The young boy’s community is coming together to support the family; in only a few hours, neighbor Annie Brown created a GoFundMe campaign that brought in hundreds of dollars.
Safety issues
“Everyone in Oak Bend is cognizant of the precious lives that live here, even those who are childless,” she added in a statement. Nobody is flawless, and even with three kids of my own, I have occasionally caught myself losing focus while driving through our neighborhood.
However, this was an accident that might have been totally prevented if drivers of moving cars had made wiser decisions. It was an instinctive move to attempt to help this family when they most needed it, even though I had never met this amazing woman before the incident.”
“Our collective goal is to ensure that these parents know they are loved and supported,” the statement said. Because it still adheres to small town ideals, Lake County is truly unique in all of Florida.
I asked this beautiful mother’s permission to start the GoFundMe campaign because I knew our community would come together in support of this family. Support is still growing as friends and relatives from all over the country have contributed.
I give all praise to God, who inspired me to initiate this support and who will see this family through to the end. “We’re in our communities working, so we have connections with different organizations that can help you,” Sendrick added. “
