Greeley – Sergio Hernandez recalled looking into the eyes of the driver who had just backed over his sister, Jasmine, as she tried to cross the street.
“I said, ‘How can you do this, don’t you care?”‘ before the driver turned the truck and sped off without saying a word, Sergio, 12, said Tuesday.
Jasmine Hernandez, 9, who died in the accident, and her cousin, Ibeth Rodriguez, also 9, were playing in front of the home their families shared when they were struck Monday. Ibeth suffered injuries to her head and is expected to recover, said George Escobar, an uncle.
A witness wrote down the license plate of the fleeing truck, and police used that to find the home of the 15-year-old boy who was driving, said Sgt. Joe Tymkowych, Greeley police spokesman. The boy’s father owns the truck. The teen was arrested, and the Weld County district attorney’s office is reviewing the case to determine charges.
On Tuesday stuffed animals, photographs of a smiling Jasmine and a child’s crayon drawing of a little girl with the words “We will miss you” sat on the lawn in front of the girls’ two-story brick home on East 25th Street Road.
Jasmine’s mother, Carla, could be heard weeping through an open window. A group of children – the two girls’ cousins – most of whom witnessed the accident, stood outside.
Jasmine, a fourth-grader at East Memorial Elementary, was a lively little girl who loved Bratz dolls, dancing and playing outside with Ibeth.
The two girls were more like sisters than cousins, said Sergio. They are part of an extended family whose members moved to Colorado to be together and to make a better life, said Escobar, who came to Greeley from El Paso.
Shortly before the accident, Ibeth, a fourth-grader at Madison Elementary, was riding a bicycle and Jasmine a scooter.
Sergio and his cousin, Luis Carlos, 12, were sitting at a small table in the garage studying with 9-year-old Israel Carlos when they heard the roar of an engine.
A red Dodge Durango was outside, a 15-year-old boy behind the wheel and another boy beside him. The tires were squealing as the truck lurched back and forth, the boys driving “crazy” to show off for a pair of teenage girls on the sidewalk, said Luis Carlos.
“My baby brother was right in front of the truck,” Sergio said. He called the boy, Victor, 3, to him and held him.
The driver backed up suddenly as Jasmine and Ibeth were crossing the street. He struck Ibeth, who was on the bike, knocking her away from the truck, then hit Jasmine and came to a stop over her body.
“They just stopped and I just kept looking at them and they looked at me,” Sergio said.
The boys ran inside and told Jasmine’s mother. She called 911.
On Tuesday, teams of counselors went to East Memorial and Madison schools, said Roger Fieler, director of school community relations for Greeley Evans School District 6.
“The school is trying to support every student,” he said, “and let them talk about their grief and let them know that those feelings are OK to have.”
Staff writer Howard Pankratz contributed to this report.
Staff writer Tom McGhee can be reached at 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com.
How to help
The victim’s advocate has helped the family establish a memorial fund:
Allnutt Funeral Service
702 13th St.
Greeley, CO 80631
Services
Services are at 10 a.m. Friday at Casa Del Rey church, 3251 W. 22nd St. in Greeley.
