Two 3-year-old boys were killed instantly Monday when a man whom police said was high on meth crashed into an Eagle Mountain horse stable at about 100 mph, fatally striking the children as they played.
Witnesses told police that, just before the car flew off the road near 2300 N. 16000 West at about 7:15 p.m., the driver was recklessly weaving and drifting into oncoming traffic at “near or faster than 100 mph,” according to Sgt. Spencer Cannon of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
The 25-year-old driver crashed through a vinyl rail fence, then through two sections of a five-rail steel pole fence. The car then crashed through a corral fence, hit a large cement block and flew into the air. It landed upside-down on a horse stable, about 345 feet from where it left the road.
(Utah County Sheriff’s Office) Two 3-year-old boys were killed Monday when a car crashed through a stable as the boys were playing with these toys.
The two boys, who were identified Tuesday afternoon as Odin Ratliff and Hunter Jackson, were playing with toys in the corral’s sand when they were struck by the car and knocked about 75 feet.
According to a probable cause statement, a preliminary drug screen indicated the driver was positive for methamphetamine and amphetamines. Police wrote that the suspect admitted to using meth as recently as Sunday morning.
Passengers in the car told police the vehicle was speeding at about 80-100 mph and the driver was “drifting” — intentionally sliding the car — before the crash.
The 25-year-old driver was flown by helicopter to Utah Valley Hospital, where he was treated for bruises and abrasions before he was released. Two passengers in the car also were treated for minor injuries at Utah Valley Hospital. A third passenger, whose condition was not available, was taken to Mountain Point Hospital in Lehi.
The driver was booked into the Utah County jail for investigation of automobile homicide, driving under the influence, possession of a controlled substance, reckless driving, running a stop sign and speeding. He is being held without bail.
A GoFundMe campaign organized to help the boys’ families with funeral costs had raised over $14,000 as of Tuesday afternoon. According to the campaign, Odin and Hunter were “best friends from the start.”
The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not name suspects until they have been charged with a crime.
