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RICHFIELD — A St. George woman was charged Tuesday with driving the wrong way on the freeway while impaired, resulting in a crash that killed her 12-year-old daughter.
Cami Jean Aparicio, 33, is charged in 6th District Court with automobile homicide, a second-degree felony; two counts of DUI and child abuse, third-degree felonies; two counts of reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor; and being an alcohol-restricted driver, a class B misdemeanor.
Just after 2 a.m. Sunday, Utah Highway Patrol troopers responded to a crash on I-70 near Richfield involving an SUV and a semi-truck. The SUV was traveling the wrong way on the freeway when it hit the front side of a big rig that attempted to swerve out of the way, then continued to sideswipe the length of the semi before being thrown to the side of the road, according to a police booking affidavit.
"Both passengers were wearing seat belts but the violent impact pulled them out of their seat belts" and ejected them from the vehicle, according to the UHP.
Aparicio was found still in the driver's seat. Her 12-year-old daughter was found deceased on the road near a back tire and her 9-year-old daughter was found about 30 yards away from the SUV, according to the affidavit. The 9-year-old was flown to Primary Children's Hospital in extremely critical condition, the UHP said.
Inside the SUV, troopers found an open box of alcohol, the affidavit states, adding that Aparicio "displayed slurred speech and smelled heavily of alcoholic beverage." A statement from the UHP said Aparicio "was extremely intoxicated."
When interviewed at the hospital, Aparicio said she was traveling from St. George to Ogden.
"I asked Cami if she had been drinking and she said she couldn't remember. I asked her why she was in Richfield if she was traveling to Ogden and she said she couldn't remember," the affidavit says.
The next day, Aparicio was questioned again and admitted to drinking "two tall Hard Mike's alcoholic drinks" before driving and then stopping in the city of Washington to buy more alcohol, according to the affidavit.
Aparicio also pleaded guilty to impaired driving in June.
