PALMETTO, Fla. — The Palmetto Police Department said a 7-year-old has died after being struck by an impaired driver while he was walking on a sidewalk with his dad on Wednesday night.
Officers, per Palmetto PD, responded to the intersection of 4th Street West and 8th Avenue West at about 6:45 p.m. after receiving a call about a traffic crash involving a pedestrian.
Palmetto PD said Aaron Naylor, 35 of Parrish, was driving south on 8th Avenue West in a Ford van when he "left the roadway, drove onto the sidewalk, and struck a child that was walking with his father."
Witnesses told officers that the boy's dad tried to push him out of the way when he saw the van.
The 7-year-old was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Naylor was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.
After conducting an impaired driving investigation, Naylor was arrested for DWI Manslaughter and several drug charges. He was booked into the Manatee County Jail with a $500,000 bond.
