‘Don’t want to die.’ 9-year-old dragged half-mile by accused drunk driver, officials say
A man is accused of drunken driving and striking and dragging a 9-year-old girl half a mile with his SUV, Ohio officials said.
Jeffrey Jay Atkinson, 55, of Dayton was indicted Aug. 1 on two counts of aggravated vehicular assault, one count of child endangering, one count of failure to stop after an accident, and one count of operating a motor vehicle while impaired, according to a news release from Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr.
No attorney information was on file for Atkinson.
Dayton police were flagged down by bystanders on July 22 who reported seeing a vehicle dragging a child underneath it, Heck said.
More than a dozen 911 calls came in reporting the accident, according to officials.
The girl’s mother, who did not know where her daughter ended up, told police the girl was struck by a Hummer while riding her bike and got caught in the wheels. The driver kept going, dragging the girl with the SUV, officials said.
Officers found the girl about half a mile away from the accident with extensive trauma, Heck said. The child was missing her leg below her left knee, and she had “significant” injuries to her right leg as well, officials said.
Officials said the girl told police, “I don’t want to die! Is this a dream?”
A witness followed Atkinson and was able to lead police to the Cowboy Lodi Bike Stop bar, officials said.
When officers tried to administer a field sobriety test, Atkinson stopped them, saying he was too drunk to pass, according to Heck.
“When a selfish, careless drunk is behind the week, no one is safe,” Heck said.
Atkinson was booked at the Montgomery County Jail on a $500,000 bond, officials said.
He is due back in court Aug. 6.
This story was originally published August 2, 2024 at 3:06 PM with the headline "‘Don’t want to die.’ 9-year-old dragged half-mile by accused drunk driver, officials say."
