A father accused of a hit-and-run who allegedly left his 4-year-old son at the site of the crash said he abandoned the child because he thought the boy was dead.
California Highway Patrol officers arrested Angelo Fabiani Arroyo, 40, on Tuesday evening for allegedly causing a hit-and-run accident that took place Sunday on a San Diego freeway. Arroyo allegedly lost control of his 2004 Nissan Titan, which was hauling a small water-craft trailer, and hit a guardrail and palm tree before ending up on its side on top of a concrete retaining wall.
Although Arroyo did free his son from his child safety seat, cops said, the boy then fell 10 feet onto a concrete sidewalk. At that point, Arroyo said, he ran off because he feared the child was dead.
"Just seeing him laying there like that. I froze. I thought he was dead. I thought I killed him," Arroyo told KGTV-TV. "I just started walking. I didn't want to hear the ambulances. I didn't want to see the people."
Arroyo said he walked all the way home from the crash scene -- a distance of about 10 miles -- and claims he consulted a homeless person for advice on living on the street because he feared he'd never be able to look family members in the eye.
The child is currently being treated at a local children's hospital, but the boy's mother has requested the hospital not release updates on her son's medical condition, NBCSanDiego.com reported.
Arroyo has been charged with hit-and-run with injury and child endangerment, ImperialBeach-Patch.com reported.