In a distressing incident in Ohio, a 55-year-old man named J. Atkinson faces serious legal penalties after hitting a 9-year-old child with his truck and dragging her several blocks. This frightening incident, which was partially filmed on police body cameras, resulted in severe injuries to the child. Police arrested Atkinson and charged him with two counts of vehicular assault, endangering a child, failing to stop following an accident, and driving while drunk.
On the evening of July 22, a resident alerted a police officer to a horrible scene: a car dragging a child underneath it. The police and emergency lines promptly received several 911 calls about the incident. The victim’s mother, in a panic, reported that her daughter was riding her bike over a crosswalk when the vehicle hit her, stuck her in its wheels, and dragged her down the street for half a mile.
Shortly after receiving the reports, responding cops located the girl at an intersection. First responders provided urgent first aid by placing tourniquets on her legs, which both showed “extensive trauma.” Regrettably, they severed the lower section of her left leg below the knee and severely damaged her right leg.
A witness made a key 911 call, not only reporting the incident but also following the vehicle to a pub 3.5 miles away. Multiple witnesses saw Atkinson departing the bar and recognized him. Body camera footage from the arresting cops showed Atkinson saying he was “too drunk to pass” any sobriety tests, recognizing his impairment even before they began.
The bodycam footage showed Atkinson straining to stay balanced as he engaged with police officers outside the bar. Because he was drunk, he was open about his inability to take sobriety tests. Passionate yells from passersby punctuated his confession, demonstrating the community’s outrage at the reckless risk of a child’s life.
Police arrested Atkinson and took him to jail, where he is currently under a $500,000 bond. The graphic footage and circumstances of the incident drew considerable condemnation, reintroducing the problem of driving under the influence back into public consciousness. The community has risen in favor of the child victim, calling for stricter laws against drunk driving and extensive assistance for the affected family.
As Atkinson faces the legal implications of his conduct, the community and government must deal with the issue of preventing such a catastrophic catastrophe from occurring again. The aim is that this tragic tragedy will spark initiatives to improve road safety and impose harsher sanctions on individuals who threaten lives through reckless behavior.
