A Salvadoran man who had entered the United States illegally was arrested on numerous charges on Feb. 11, after ramming into an ambulance that was carrying a 2-year-old child while he was drunk driving. The child has since died.
Despite all efforts by the staff at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the child passed away on Monday, Feb. 12.
The child’s mother and two emergency medical technicians (EMTs) were also in the ambulance at the time of the incident. They were taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center with minor injuries.
The 27-year-old undocumented immigrant, who was already facing numerous charges of driving while impaired, driving without a license, and failure to decrease speed to avoid an accident, will now also face charges for the child’s death. Romero is also on an immigration retainer, meaning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agents could take custody of him should he make bail on the existing charges. He is currently being detained at the Forsyth, North Carolina detention center.
A blood alcohol test taken three hours later showed that Romero still had a BAC of 0.19 which is more than twice the legal limit.
A Mother Seeking Help for Her Child
The ambulance was transporting mother Lyndsay Ann Oakes, 27, and her sick child from Wise, Virginia to an unidentified medical facility. No other details have been released at this time, with Oakes asking for her privacy to be respected.
Police say Romero was driving a Honda Accord southbound near the Liberty Street exit on US-52 when he slammed into the left side of the ambulance with so much force that it flipped on its side. The Honda ran off the road.
Romero has a court appearance scheduled for Feb. 13 and another for April. He is being held on a $50,000 secured bond, but bail has since been revoked with knowledge of the child’s passing.
