A 37-year-old Eureka man was arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated after the car he was driving struck a young boy in a gas station parking lot. The 6-year-old boy had minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital, Eureka Police reported.
The accident happened at about 7:20 p.m. March 6 at the QuikTrip gas station, 290 Fourth St. The boy, who lives in Columbia, Ill., was struck while he was crossing the parking lot with his mother, a 30-year-old Columbia, Ill., woman, after they exited the convenience store to return to their car at a gas pump, the report said.
The Eureka man was driving a 2016 Ford Fusion south on the parking lot when the accident occurred. Surveillance video allegedly showed the car strike the boy, knocking him back several feet, and the boy was transported to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Eureka Police reported.
The mother told police she saw the car approaching, so she tried to shield him from the car but was unable to get in front of him in time. The driver allegedly told police he saw people in the parking lot as he drove past the convenience store, but because it was raining, he wasn’t sure if he hit anyone, the report said.
The driver also allegedly told police a woman threw a beer can at his car as he drove near the convenience store. An officer reported the Fusion was not damaged, but it looked like a blue slushy drink had been thrown on the car because residue was in the grill, according to the report.
The officer reported smelling alcohol on the driver’s breath, and the man failed field sobriety tests. He was arrested and taken to the Police Station, where he was booked and released to a sober driver after receiving a summons to appear in Eureka Municipal Court for DWI, Lt. Michael Werges said.