Mom accused of driving drunk in crash that killed her 12-year-old, Utah cops say

A 33-year-old woman told Utah police that she began drinking before leaving on a road trip with her two daughters, then stopped at a gas station to buy more alcohol, news outlets say.

A wrong-way collision on Interstate 70 near Elsinore at 2 a.m. Mountain time Sunday, Jan. 9, threw both daughters from her Cadillac Escalade, Utah Highway Patrol officers said in a news release.

Her 12-year-old daughter died at the scene and her 9-year-old daughter was hospitalized in extremely critical condition, troopers said.

The younger girl had been thrown 30 yards from the crash, The Gephardt Daily reported.

Cami Jean Aparicio, 33, who was unhurt, faces charges including criminal homicide, aggravated assault and driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, according to the publication.

Her Escalade hit an oncoming big rig in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70, sliding down the trailer and knocking off the rear axle, the Utah Highway Patrol reported.

The big-rig driver had tried to swerve out of Aparicio’s way, The Gephardt Daily said.

The crash hurled the SUV off the freeway, troopers said. Both girls were seat-belted “but the violent impact pulled them out of their seat belts.”

Aparicio’s speech was so slurred after the crash that troopers could not interview her, KSTU reported. She later told them she had been drinking before leaving St. George for Ogden at 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, then bought more alcohol on her way.

Troopers found an open box of hard seltzers in the wrecked SUV, The Gephardt Daily reported. Aparicio admitted she was not supposed to be driving after an earlier drunk driving charge.

This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Mom accused of driving drunk in crash that killed her 12-year-old, Utah cops say."