Pollock Pines, CA – (Dec 20 2023)
Over seven months have passed since a van struck five children at a crosswalk in the Pollock Pines area of El Dorado County, leaving parents of the injured youngsters discontent with the lack of potential charges against the 21-year-old driver.
The incident occurred as the children, all under the age of 6 and students at Pine Top Montessori, were crossing the Pony Express Trail during a school outing. The crash resulted in four of the children being airlifted to hospitals, with severe injuries ranging from broken bones to fractures and bruises.
Jerry Dunlap, father of 6-year-old JC, expressed his dissatisfaction with the recent communication from the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office. According to Dunlap, the office informed the parents last week that no charges would be filed against the driver.
“None of the families want this kid to go to prison or jail. Community service, I mean, some sort of consequence for this action is all we were looking for. Instead, we got he ‘wasn’t drunk, speeding, and nobody died’,” Dunlap remarked, highlighting the parents’ desire for accountability without extreme punitive measures.
Officials, in the aftermath of the crash, ruled out alcohol, drugs, and excessive speed as factors. However, the parents contend that the severity of their children’s injuries warrants some form of consequence for the driver’s actions.
Dunlap vividly described the traumatic aftermath of the crash, recounting the visible injuries his son endured. “I had to see my son’s face every night,” he shared. “He was so bruised. A broken femur, which he still has two bars in his leg. He had a skull fracture. More bruises than I’ve ever seen on the child. He’s got several broken teeth.”
The district attorney’s office indicated it is awaiting the results of its investigation before formally deciding whether charges will be filed against the driver.
“I teach my kids that every action has a consequence,” Dunlap emphasized. “Whether it’s a good one or a bad one. The only consequences from this accident are to these kids. I don’t know how to explain that to my son.”
As the community awaits the conclusion of the investigation, parents advocate for a balance between justice and understanding, seeking resolution for the aftermath that left lasting physical and emotional scars on the young victims.
Facebook post:
The morning of May 31, we received a phone call from Juniper’s preschool teacher telling us a group of children were hit by a car on the crosswalk heading to a nearby playground.. including Juniper. Not knowing what to expect, we rushed in the car to the location. When we arrived.. we were shocked by the people and first responders. We hurried over expecting Juniper to be sitting in an ambulance with a broken leg or being examined by a paramedic. We didn’t expect for our baby girl to be nowhere in sight. Nothing except for her shoes on the crosswalk. We were eventually told admits the chaos that she was the child who was being care flighted to a hospital, and I felt like my heart stopped. Everything became a blur as we drove to UC Davis not knowing what was happening to our baby girl. When we arrived at the ER, we were told she was in critical condition due to head trauma. We were allowed into the room as the staff worked quickly trying to stabilize her. I honestly can’t remember much of that day.. how Flora came to be in the care of my family.. who talked to us, what they said exactly. But Juniper had a severe traumatic brain injury. They were trying to control the swelling.. but it wasn’t looking good. On the second day, we were informed that in Juniper continued the path she was heading down.. she likely wouldn’t make it. The doctors put in an EVD to drain the fluid to help give room for the swelling in her head. Her pressure numbers (ICPs) we’re constantly being monitored, trying to keep it below 20, although every minute we had to watch for her number climbing, and the nurses worked tirelessly to use interventions to bring it back down. More and more interventions were put into place, more sedations to compress brain activity. She was in a heavily induced coma…
