NEW BRITAIN -- A 24-year old woman charged with a DUI is due in court Monday afternoon after she hit a 15-year old bicyclist with her car on Sunday morning, police said.
Police said the crash happened near Corbin Avenue and Lincoln Street where Natalie Marie Torres, of New Britain, hit a 15-year old riding a bike.
It appears as though Jose Alejandro, a New Britain High School student, will recover from his injuries. But, the boy's family is very upset because it was an accident that was easily preventable.
"The last thing I can remember him telling me is 'Mommy I love you,'" said a weeping Precious Pabon, the mother of Alejandro. "It plays over and over and over in my head."
Early Sunday, just after 1:30 a.m., in the area of Corbin Avenue and Lincoln Street, police said Alejandro was struck by a minivan driven by 24-year-old Natalie Torres, of New Britain, who was arraigned today and admits she was holding and looking at her GPS when she struck the boy.
"I want to show her a picture," said Pabon. "This is what you did to my baby. My baby. He's only 15 years old."
Torres, charged with DUI, had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit. She was also hit with two counts of risk of injury to a minor because two of her children, ages two and three, were in the vehicle with her.
"I understand my child maybe should not have been outside at 1:30 in the morning riding a bike, but what are you doing drinking and driving at 1:30 in the morning, yourself having two and three year olds in the car with you," queried Travis Cormier, Alejandro's stepfather.
Alejandro's mother said his condition is improving, at Yale New Haven Hospital's Pediatric ICU, although he is still in a medically induced coma.
"He did go through brain surgery," she said. "He is stable. His vitals are good. He is moving his legs and arms a lot."
Torres told police she was on her way home from a club in Berlin when the accident occurred. And she admitted that, while she is supposed to be wearing either contact lenses or glasses, she was wearing neither at the time of the accident.
"Own up and man up, woman up and learn from what the hell you just did to my baby now," said Cormier. "I'm going to be the one nursing my son back."
Jose Alejandro's family was floored to learn during Torres' arraignment that she has another pending criminal case, dating back to November of 2015, which includes charges for robbery and assaulting an elderly person.
A GoFundMe page was set up for Jose.