Buenos Aires, Jan 16 (NA) -- Maximiliano Jerez, the father of Bastián Jerez, has been charged in a case where the victim is the child who remains hospitalized in serious condition after the UTV he was in collided head-on with a pickup truck in the dunes of Pinamar. Local media informed the Argentine News Agency that the accusation against the boy's father was promoted by the prosecutor's office, under the crime of negligent injuries because he allegedly did not respect safety measures. According to witness statements, Maximiliano Jerez was holding the boy on his lap, even though the vehicle has space for four people, there were five people on board, and Bastian was traveling “piggyback” on his father. Forensic police tests corroborated the account, and such conduct meant that inertia caused the boy to hit the steering wheel. Additionally, it was clarified that the child had no protection, such as a seatbelt, which would have reduced the impact. Both the driver of the pickup truck involved in the crash, Manuel Molinari, and the woman driving the UTV have also been charged with the same crime. This morning, authorities at the Maternal and Child Specialized Interzonal Hospital in Mar del Plata reported in a new medical bulletin that the child was operated on for a third time successfully. They also pointed out that he has “multiple skull fractures”. The operation consisted of removing hepatic packing and performing abdominal closure: “It was possible to carry out after the patient was completely evaluated through high-complexity studies performed at the Hospital from his admission until this morning”. “He is in guarded condition, admitted to the intensive care unit and awaiting a favorable evolution,” they added. Meanwhile, Molinari's lawyers stated that their client is “distressed” and “at the disposal” of the victim's family. They added: “We went to the expert evaluation and there were no experts. Without an expert of our own, we asked for a new date”. The lawyers dismissed rumors that the driver was participating in street races at 'La Olla': “He did not go to La Olla or participate in any race, he was at a beach and was leaving in a pickup truck”. “On one of the curves, he lost sight of the UTV and the frontal impact occurred. The impact happened and everyone was injured. My client says he was going at a walking pace and does not remember the other vehicle being fast. There were three people in the UTV. Without an official expert to guarantee transparency and impartiality, it was impossible. The collision was frontal,” they concluded.
