Las Vegas boy, 6, on a ventilator after suffering ‘major injuries’ at the hands of a drunk driver
A Las Vegas family is trying to raise money to bring their 6-year-old son home after he was hospitalized and put on a ventilator when their car hit a drunk driver as they returned from a camping trip in California on Monday.
According to a GoFundMe page set up by Ian Sanchez’s family, his body has suffered too much trauma and is unable to recover. His family makes the heartbreaking decision when they have to take their son off a ventilator.
His father, Moses, told it CBS Las Vegas that they were driving along Interstate 215 in Murrieta, 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles, when they hit a car whose driver had crashed into a wall. Police suspect the driver of the other car was under the influence.
βI couldn’t stop in time. And I just hit him straight across,β Moses said. The entire family, including Ian’s 4-year-old brother, Matthew, was hospitalized with various injuries after the crash, but all except Ian have recovered.
Ian was airlifted to San Diego Children’s Hospital, where his family says he is receiving the best care available.
Ian Sanchez was returning with his family from a camping trip in the early morning hours of Monday when their car hit a car that had been involved in an accident
According to a GoFundMe page set up for Ian, it is extremely unlikely that he will recover from the trauma caused by the injuries.
The injuries Ian suffered included a critical brain laceration and a stroke that resulted in cerebral hemorrhage
βHe was the shortest person in the room. But he would make himself appear as the greatest person. The boy we knew and loved. He’s gone,” Moses told the affiliate. “The ventilators keep him alive,” he added.
βI want everyone to remember how beautiful he was. And how he would bring joy to other people,” Moses concluded.
The injuries Ian suffered included a critical brain laceration and a stroke that resulted in cerebral hemorrhage.
At the time of writing, the crowdfunding page has raised almost $15,000. The page’s goal is $20,000.
“We kindly ask that you allow the family the time and space necessary to be together for the rest of Ian’s life left with us here on Earth,” part of the page reads.
The page further described him as a “true miracle,” adding that he has overcome so much since the day he was born.
It describes his parents as “loving him endlessly,” adding that they now “have to learn to live without their precious baby.”
In a heartbreaking interview, Ian’s father, Moses said, ‘I want everyone to remember how beautiful he was. And how he would bring joy to other people’
Little Ian is being treated at San Diego Children’s Hospital, his family is trying to raise money to bring him back home to Las Vegas
The accident happened around 3:15 a.m. Monday. The man who allegedly caused the wreck, 26-year-old Isaiah F. Orona, was taken into custody at the scene, he was also seriously injured in the crash, reports NBC Palm Springs.
Orona was arrested by California Highway Patrol officers at a local hospital. He has since been released on $50,000 bail from the Riverside County Jail. Orona will appear in court on June 13.
Orona is accused of making an unsafe turn in his 2020 Dodge Charger that caused him to lose control, leading to the three-car collision, police said.
CHP officer Mike Lassig initially called Ian Sanchez’s injuries “serious.”
The Sanchez family traveled in their 2017 Kia Sportage, police said. Another person, identified only as a 55-year-old man, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash.
California has seen an increase in DUIs in recent years, according to California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Fran Clader.
Clader said the increase in the Golden State “reflects a similar trend that is happening across the country.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the leading causes of fatal crashes related to speeding, driving, speeding, and not wearing a seatbelt.
The statistics seem to point to more deadly results in recent years, though the CHP was unable to provide an explanation. Both the number of injury crashes and the number of casualties fell in the past four years, while the number of fatalities increased.
Last year, the state launched an extensive “Don’t Get Drunk/Don’t Get Drunk Driving” campaign.