Phoenix, AZ — Alfonso Beltran, 28 years old, was badly injured along with his girlfriend, 31, and her daughter, 3, after they were allegedly hit by a suspected drunk driver on Monday, July 13, 2015. This happened at the intersection of 67th Street and Van Buren Street, the police said. The driver who struck them was later identified to the news as 14-year old Miguel Maldonado, pictured. The police said that Maldonado was suspected of being drunk when he crashed a Volkswagen Passat into Beltran’s SUV early that Monday morning.
According to their reports, it looks like Beltran was driving south on 67th Street that morning, headed to work, when his SUV was hit by Maldonado’s Volkswagen after he ran the red light.
Alfonso Beltran was badly injured along with his 31-year old girlfriend in the car and her 3-year old daughter. All were rushed to a hospital where the young girl was in the most serious condition.
The police arrested Maldonado and have charged him with multiple offenses, including DUI. He will be charged as an adult “due to the seriousness” of the crime, the news said.
Also in the Volkswagen was a 17-year old boy, but it’s not clear if they were injured or not.
Map of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary:
To my knowledge, Arizona law is pretty explicit in its condemnation of establishments (like bars and restaurants) that serve alcohol to minors. However, they also have rules for adults that give alcohol to minors (or allow it to be consumed) on their property. The idea is that a responsible adult will not allow someone underage to become intoxicated — for their own good and for the safety of others.
I don’t know where this teen got the alleged alcohol here or where he was able to procure a car, but I’m wondering if there wasn’t some pretty serious lack of supervision going on that night. Did an adult know, or should they have known, about what was going on? And where did the alcohol in question come from?
— Grossman Law Offices
