Intoxicated driver hit car with 7 juveniles inside, police say

HURRICANE — A LaVerkin man is accused of running a red light and smashing into a vehicle full of juveniles.

Victor Manuel Lomei, 21, was charged Thursday in 5th District Court with two counts of negligently operating a vehicle and causing serious injury, a third-degree felony; four counts of negligently operating a vehicle and causing injury, a class A misdemeanor; DUI and reckless driving, class B misdemeanors; having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, a class C misdemeanor; and failing to stay in his lane, an infraction.

On Oct. 24, about 1:40 a.m., Hurricane police responded to a crash at 3700 West State Street.

Emergency dispatchers told responding officers that "a white Honda Civic ran a red light at a high rate of speed and collided with another white sedan trying to merge onto state Route 9," according to a police booking affidavit. "Upon arrival, I observed skid marks in the right merge lane leading across the road to a white Honda Civic approximately 100 yards away from a white Chevy Malibu."

The Malibu had seven juveniles inside, police stated.

"Six of the seven juveniles involved in the collision and Victor would be transported to St. George Regional Hospital for their injuries by ambulance. The severity of injuries varies between each juvenile. However, one juvenile suffered a grade three rupture of his spleen and five fractures to his spine. Another juvenile sustained a dislocated hip requiring surgery on his femur," the affidavit states.

The ages of the juveniles were not immediately available.

Police noted "an odor of an alcoholic beverage" coming from Lomei and spotted an empty beer bottle on the floor, according to the affidavit.

"Victor made a spontaneous utterance of consuming alcohol to another agency officer. Victor later would say he believed he fell asleep at the wheel," the affidavit states.