Eight-year-old Jasmine Hernandez dreamed of becoming a nurse and developing her artistic talent.

Yesterday, tragedy swept her dreams away.

"She liked the arts. She played the flute and loved to sing and dance," her father, Sergio Hernandez, said today. "My daughter loved to dance and sing. You'd always see her laughing and dancing."

Jasmine's life was cut short in a hit-and-run accident near her Greeley home.

She was playing with her 9-year-old cousin Yvette Rodriguez, when they were hit by a red Dodge pickup truck.

Both girls were transported to Northern Colorado Medical Center.

Jasmine was pronounced dead about 4:30 p.m. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of her death, according to the Weld County Coroner's Office.

Yvette was flown to Children's Hospital in Denver yesterday. Hernandez said today that Yvette was "out of danger."

Elizabeth Whitehead, a spokeswoman for Children's Hospital, said the girl is in fair condition.

Witnesses have said the young driver was "showing off." The 15-year-old driver was being held at the Platte Valley Youth Detention Center. His name was not released because of his age.

One of the girls was riding a bicycle and the other a scooter when they were hit.

Yvette's mother heard screeching of the tires and rushed to the window seconds before the girls were hit, said Hernandez.

Jasmine's 12-year-old brother was also there.

"My poor son saw everything," Hernandez said. "He saw when the car went in reverse and ran over her."

A neighbor, Kyle Pabst, who witnessed the accident, told the The Greeley Tribune he was in his backyard when he heard tires squeal.

He and another neighbor said the driver of the truck was "showing off for some girls" by squealing the tires going forward and backward.

The truck was going backward when it struck the girls.

"Then (the driver) stopped," Pabst told the Tribune. "And he and the passenger talked for a minute ... Then he took off again, running over one little girl's arm again."

A witness got the license plate number of the truck and gave it to police, Greeley police Sgt. Adam Turk said.

The 15-year-old was arrested at a home six blocks from the accident scene. It was not clear whether the boy lived at the address where he was arrested.

Jennifer Finch, a spokeswoman for the Weld County District Attorney's Office, said the DA's office will determine if charges will be filed, once police complete their investigation.

Turk said the two girls lived together at a home near where the accident occurred.

Hernandez said he was working in Las Vegas when the accident occurred.

"I got here last night. I didn't have a chance to see my daughter again," he said.

Jasmine, her two brothers and her mother had recently moved to Greeley from Las Vegas, after moving there from Colorado, Hernandez said.

Funeral arrangements have not been finalized, he said.

Rocky staff writer Rosa Ramirez contributed to this report

fongt@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5489

Back to Top