Background: News footage of the April 29 crash that killed Dalton Gibbs (KSL). Inset: Dalton Gibbs (GoFundMe).
A Utah man who allegedly ran over a 9-year-old boy on his bicycle without realizing it now faces felony charges.
Months after 80-year-old George Parker Hunter fatally struck 9-year-old Dalton Gibbs with his truck, the older man has been charged with second-degree felony manslaughter and third-degree felony leaving the scene of an accident involving death. According to court records obtained by local ABC outlet KUTV, Hunter was behind the wheel of his white pickup truck on the afternoon of April 25 at the same time Dalton was riding his bike home from school.
Police said that Hunter turned into an intersection and allegedly struck Dalton, dragging the boy 50 feet with his truck while witnesses tried and failed to get him to stop.
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According to court documents, Dalton was finally released from being trapped under Hunter”s truck, but his bike remained stuck. Witnesses who spoke to investigators reportedly said that they tried to wave Hunter down while he was still driving, attempting to communicate to the older man that Dalton was underneath his vehicle. Instead of stopping, Hunter allegedly sped up and drove away.
When Hunter was questioned by police after being tracked down at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds nearby, he told them that he saw Dalton’s bicycle under another driver’s car. That driver reportedly got out of their car and tried to flag Hunter down; Hunter told police that he thought the other driver was waving him away.
While still driving, Hunter then told police he heard a screeching sound and subsequently saw a bicycle in his rearview mirror. At that point, he finally got out of his truck to move the bike off the street and onto the sidewalk. After waiting a few minutes, he then allegedly drove off.
According to court documents, an officer at the scene reportedly overheard Hunter say to someone, “I knew I hit a bicycle, but I didn’t think there was a kid on it.”
Pleasant Grove Police Captain Britt Smith told KUTV that Hunter was “somebody’s father, somebody’s grandparent, who has diminished faculties and is operating a vehicle on the roadway.” Smith added that Hunter had a valid driver’s license at the time of the crash.
Dalton died from his injuries at the hospital the same day that he was struck. His parents, Tyler Gibbs and Kim Gibbs, told local NBC affiliate KSL that they did not support filing criminal charges against Hunter. Kim Gibbs told the outlet, “We know he didn’t intend to do this.” The couple told KSL that they had met with Hunter and forgave him.
In a statement the Gibbs’ provided to KSL after Hunter’s criminal charges were announced, they said:
This tragedy has changed our lives, his included. We know that he is deeply remorseful. We don’t desire that he or his family should endure additional punishment beyond what they’ve already experienced. We do not believe that incarceration or similar severe measures will provide the good that is needed. We believe there are other options that can be explored to ensure public safety and maintain the integrity of the driver’s family.
To be clear, we are not the ones pressing charges. When the County Attorney’s office shared with us that they would be charging the driver, we shared these same sentiments with them. We desire everyone to be made whole.
Hunter is charged with one count of second-degree felony manslaughter and one count of third-degree felony leaving the scene of an accident involving death. He did not appear on the Utah County inmate roster on Tuesday.
