A Gainesville man faces multiple charges following a hit-and-run crash that injured a 5-month-old girl, authorities said.
The child was thrown from an SUV during the Aug. 13 wreck along Queen City Parkway, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday in a news release. Investigators determined 26-year-old Rigoberto Osorio-Colin was driving without headlights when a Chevrolet Tahoe heading the opposite direction tried turning left onto Aviation Boulevard.
Osorio-Colin’s Hyundai struck the SUV, ejecting the girl and injuring her mother, who was a passenger in the Tahoe. Following the wreck, Osorio-Colin ran from the scene and later called 911 to report his car stolen, authorities said.
A taxi driver who came upon the wreck drove the infant and two adults to Northeast Georgia Medical Center. The baby was then flown by helicopter to a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta location, deputies said.
Deputies responded to the crash and searched for the driver of the Hyundai, but were unable to find him. About an hour later, dispatchers received a call from a man in the 2000 block of Broadway Place claiming his car had been stolen, authorities said. Deputies went to the home and met with Osorio-Colin, who they determined had actually been behind the wheel at the time of the crash.
The Gainesville man was arrested on a host of traffic charges, including driving under the influence, reckless driving, hit-and-run, failing to report an accident, driving without a valid license, failure to yield and a headlight violation. He was released from jail a week later after posting $15,560 bond, records show.
Both the infant and her mother are expected to make full recoveries, authorities said, and the driver of the SUV was not injured.
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