UPDATE: 6-year-old critically injured in Baldwin County crash has died

Published: Jul. 8, 2024 at 8:22 PM CDT|Updated: Jul. 10, 2024 at 1:40 PM CDT
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UPDATE: A 6-year-old who was critically injured in a single-vehicle crash in Baldwin County early Monday morning has died and a Summerdale man is now charged with manslaughter, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Tuesday.

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EARLIER STORY:

SUMMERDALE, Ala. (WALA) -Twenty-five-year-old Zelvin Gomez went before a Baldwin County judge just hours after a serious accident on County Road 28 near Davis Road in Summerdale. Prosecutors say preliminary results show Gomez was going 68 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone. They say Gomez hit a fence causing his vehicle to roll over which led to a 6-year-old girl being ejected.

A neighbor who didn’t want to go on camera says he woke up to a medical helicopter flying over his house to rush the girl to the hospital. This picture shows the vehicle on its side in his front yard. Hours later tire tracks and broken glass are still in his yard as a sign of how serious the accident was.

Prosecutors say Gomez’s blood alcohol level was .22. Almost three times the legal limit. Gomez remains in the Baldwin County jail and has been charged with first degree assault and driving under the influence. A judge set his bond at over $150,000.

Immigration officials have placed a hold on Gomez. The district attorney’s office says homeland security confirmed Gomez is in this country illegally after he sought asylum from Honduras but was denied.

Prosecutors say the girl is still in the hospital in critical condition.