Boy, 5, struck, dragged by car

David Kihara

Thursday, Nov. 18, 2004 | 11:03 a.m.

Three pedestrians were injured when hit by traffic around the valley Wednesday, including a 5-year-old boy who was struck and dragged under a vehicle in North Las Vegas, police said.

Natasha Taylor, 24, hit the child, who was riding a non-motorized scooter on Glastonbury Thorn Street, at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to police.

Police did not release the name of the boy, but said that he was taken to University Medical Center's Trauma Center. He was listed in stable condition with serious head injuries, according to a police statement.

Taylor was driving a silver Toyota westbound on Balzar Avenue when she sideswiped a parked car after turning right onto Glastonbury Thorn, North Las Vegas Police Public Information Officer Tim Bedwell said.

Continuing northbound on Glastonbury Thorn, she struck the boy and dragged him for more than 60 feet, Bedwell said, adding that neighbors in the area came out and pulled the child out from under the car.

Bedwell said he did not know this morning if the boy was wearing a helmet.

Taylor then allegedly tried to drive away but collided with a parked pickup truck further up the block, police said.

"We think she was trying to run," Bedwell said.

Detectives believe drugs or alcohol was a factor in the accident, he said. Taylor failed field sobriety and breath tests administered at the scene. Her driving pattern also indicated she was impaired, Bedwell said.

"The first thing is the driving behavior. The driving behavior is not consistent of anyone who is sober," he said.

Detectives will not know what substance -- alcohol or illegal or prescription drugs -- if any was affecting Taylor until the results of a blood test are ready, Bedwell said.

Police booked Taylor into the North Las Vegas Detention Center. The police are charging Taylor with driving under the influence with "substantial bodily harm," hit and run, failure to report an accident and driving on the wrong side of the street.

About an hour before Taylor struck the boy, 52-year-old Daniel Delay "ran into the path" of an oncoming truck on Rancho Drive near Holly Lane in Las Vegas, according to police.

Delay was crossing the street at Rancho Drive but was walking outside the marked crosswalk, according to a police statement.

He then ran in front of a Ford truck driven by Carmen Valazquez-Chaparro, 32, according to the statement.

"Jaywalking on the part of Delay appears to be the contributing factor in this collision," the statement said.

Delay was transported to University Medical Center and was listed in serious condition.

Valazquez-Chaparro was not injured in the accident. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department accident Investigations Section is still investigating the incident. It was not determined on Wednesday night whether or not the authorities are going to press charges against Valazquez-Chaparro.

Meanwhile Las Vegas resident Robert Boehme was in critical condition at University Medical Center this morning after he was struck by a car near Flamingo Road and Hotel Rio Drive on Wednesday night.

According to police, Boehme, 44, was crossing Flamingo Road in a marked crosswalk when he was struck by a 1994 Infiniti G20 driven by 18-year-old Patricia Eades of Las Vegas about 7:50 p.m. Wednesday.

Metro Police are still investigation the collision but believe Boehme's failure to obey the "don't walk" traffic signals contributed to the accident.

Sun reporter Stephen Curran contributed to this story.

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