Mother urges caution accepting car rides after daughter is injured in suspected DUI crash

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OGDEN — A woman whose daughter was severely injured in a rollover involving an accused drunken driver is urging parents to be careful about who they let give rides to their children.

Tina Hadley's daughter, Brooklyn, was 10 when she was partially ejected from a car that crashed Jan. 14 after prosecutors say the driver, Cornelius Joseph Flores, 31, drove under the influence.

Hadley said she had no idea Flores was possibly intoxicated when she spoke to him, and she's urging parents not to assume that anyone is safe if you don't know them well.

"People can 'act normal,'" she said. "Accidents do happen, but what he did was negligent, resulting in massive changes in everyone's lives involved."

Earlier this year, Flores drove six minors even while under the influence of cocaine and THC, and with a blood-alcohol content of 0.108%, about twice the legal limit, according to the charges. He had also been denied a driver's license renewal, and he and three of the minors in the car were not wearing seat belts, charges state.

One of those minors not wearing a seat belt was Brooklyn. Hadley said Flores, who was a father figure to one of Brooklyn's friends, was supposed to be driving the children to a playdate in Roy.

But Flores, driving a 2004 Cadillac Escalade, sped at around 80 mph in a 40 mph zone on 31st Street in Ogden, collided with a Honda Pilot and flipped over the side of the roadway, police say.

Flores and his front passenger, Kingston Richard Sanchez, 13, were ejected. Kingston was pronounced dead at the scene, a police booking affidavit states. Four of the five other occupants also received serious injuries, police said, including Brooklyn.

The other five minors in the car were all children of Crystal Sanchez, who was dating Flores, according to Hadley. Hadley said Sanchez was aware Flores didn't have a license and had gotten high before driving.

"She made that choice for herself and her children. But she also made that choice for my daughter as well," Hadley said. "I feel like she took that decision away from me and chose for my daughter to put her in a dangerous position."

"He was a parent's role in those children's lives — why should I have assumed anything other than my daughter is going to be okay?" Hadley added.

Hadley said Brooklyn was partially ejected from the car and suffered severe injuries, including multiple head injuries, deep cuts on her arm and a bruised lung. Brooklyn has also developed short-term memory issues, is falling behind in school and now struggles with anxiety and depression, Hadley said.

"She's just not the same kid as she was prior to the accident," Hadley said.

She warned other parents to not think someone is a safe driver solely because they have kids.

"My message to other parents is, please do not send your child with someone you don't completely trust or know … even a friend's parents to have (a) playdate," Hadley said. "You can't necessarily trust another child's parents with your child. I assumed because he had five children in his car that my daughter was going to be safe with him."

Hadley said she hopes other parents learn from her experience.

"If I could keep another family from having to go through this same situation, I would," she said.

Hadley said she has become wary of driving around other people's kids now, not because she thinks she is an unsafe driver but because accidents happen and she doesn't want to be responsible for someone else's children getting hurt.

Per the CDC, injuries are the No. 1 cause of death among children, including from car crashes, fires, falls and other accidents.

"More than 7,000 children and teens age zero to 19 died because of unintentional injuries in 2019," according to the CDC's website. "Child injury is often preventable."

Flores is facing 12 charges relating to the crash, including negligently operating a vehicle resulting in death, a second-degree felony; two counts of negligently operating a vehicle resulting in serious injury, a third-degree felony; three counts of negligently operating a vehicle resulting in injury, plus DUI with a passenger younger than 16 years old, class A misdemeanors; as well as driving on a denied license, a class C misdemeanor. He has also been charged with four infractions: three counts of failure to secure a seat belt for a child 8-16 years old, and speeding.

Flores is scheduled to appear in 2nd District Court on Aug. 23.