GREELEY, Colo. – A 16-year-old boy died of injuries from an SUV rollover after his companions failed to call for emergency help and instead phoned a friend to pick them up, authorities said.
Aaron Bonilla was taken to a hospital in a private vehicle nearly an hour after the wreck Thursday morning, authorities said. He died after being rushed into surgery for a lacerated liver.
The 16-year-old driver of the SUV, whose name was not released, was arrested on suspicion of careless driving causing death, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a license, said Sgt. Dennis Schenkenberger of the Colorado State Patrol.
Seven teens were in the SUV when it rolled over. After the friend came to get them, four uninjured youths were dropped off before Bonilla and two other injured youths were taken to the hospital, police said. The condition of the two other injured teens was not available.
The hospital notified police, as did a woman who saw the abandoned SUV.
“There was blood everywhere,” said Tracy Davis, the woman who spotted the SUV. “A car seat was wedged between the driver and passenger seat, and personal items were strewn all over the road. I knew someone had to be pretty badly hurt.”
Four of the teens were wearing seat belts, but Bonilla and the other two injured passengers were not and were ejected from the SUV, Schenkenberger said.
“If they had been wearing seat belts, this could have been prevented,” Schenkenberger said. “It’s a horrific, horrific accident.”
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