Ohio—In an upsetting event in Ohio, a 55-year-old man named J. Atkinson hit and dragged a 9-year-old girl several blocks with his car. He will face serious legal consequences. This scary event, which was partly caught on police body cameras, finished with the child getting seriously hurt. Atkinson was caught and charged with two counts of attacking another driver with a car, endangering a child, failing to stop after an accident, and driving while impaired.
In the evening of July 22, a person called the police to report a terrible scene: a car pulling a girl under it. A lot of 911 calls were made to the police and emergency lines right away about what happened. Reports say that the victim’s mother, who was upset, said that her daughter was riding her bike over a crossing when she was hit by a car and caught in its wheels, which pulled her down the street for half a mile.
The girl was found at a crossroads not long after the police got the call. First responders gave her instant first aid by putting tourniquets on both of her legs, which had “extensive trauma.” Sadly, the bottom part of her left leg was missing below the knee, and her right leg was also badly hurt.
A very important 911 call came from a witness who not only told police what happened but also followed the car to a bar about 3.5 miles away. Several people saw Atkinson leave the bar and were able to identify him. Atkinson admitted he was “too drunk to pass” any sobriety tests, which was caught on camera by the cops who arrested him. He knew he was impaired even before the tests started.
Atkinson was having trouble keeping his balance as he talked to police officers outside the bar, as shown on the bodycam video. He was honest about the fact that he couldn’t do sobriety tests because he was drunk. People in the crowd yelled at him during his confession, showing how angry they were that he put a child’s life in danger without thinking.
Atkinson was taken to jail after being arrested and is being held there on a $500,000 bond right now. The disturbing video and the details of what happened have led to strong condemnation and have brought the problem of drunk driving back into the public eye. The community has come together to support the young victim, calling for strict punishments for drunk drivers and all-around help for the family.
While Atkinson deals with the legal consequences of his actions, the community and the officials work to make sure that something as terrible doesn’t happen again. The hope is that this terrible event will spur people to work to make roads safer and make the penalties for people who act recklessly and put lives at risk harsher.
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