The 21-year-old driver — who has since been charged with felony hit and run — reportedly told police he “was scared and didn’t know what to do”
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A car being washed (stock image)
A Utah man was killed in a hit-and-run accident — and the driver who hit him washed his car in a nearby car wash before fleeing the scene.
According to a series of press releases from the Ogden Police Department — located north of Salt Lake City — a man identified as 21-year-old Christian Hernandez Palma hit 63-year-old Stirling Kelso as he was cleaning the car wash’s parking lot at around 5 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
Kelso was pronounced dead at the scene, and police said Palma fled prior to officers’ arrival. According to police, Kelso was not an employee of the car wash. It is unclear why he was cleaning the parking lot.
Ogden Police UT/Facebook
Ogden Police vehicle
Local news outlet KSL.com reported that security footage of the incident shows a gray Lexus pulling into the car wash when the driver “struck a pedestrian who was on the ground cleaning the area,” per a police booking affidavit.
The outlet added that Palma told police that he then pulled into a bay and began washing his car just feet away from Kelso’s body. He “was scared and didn’t know what to do,” Palma told police.
A bystander approached Palma to ask if he knew what happened, and Palma replied that he did not know.
The affidavit obtained by KSL.com states that Palma also stopped to speak with a truck driver whose vehicle had a company logo printed on it. Police tracked down the business from the logo and found Palma’s Lexus in the business’ parking lot. The car had damage to its front bumper and undercarriage “consistent with an auto vs. pedestrian collision,” and police arrested Palma shortly after.
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Police also said in the affidavit that Palma had a fake U.S. permanent resident ID and no driver’s license, per KSL.com.
Speaking with FOX 13 News, Kelso’s daughter Misty confirmed that her father was the victim of the accident and opened up about his personality.
“I just talked to him last night,” she told the outlet. “He loves eagles — he’s an eagle man, he loves anything with eagles, he collects anything with eagles. He’s going to be flying with the eagles.”
Ogden police said in a press release that Palma has been booked into Weber County Jail on several charges including felony hit and run for leaving the scene of an accident, driving without a license, and failure to maintain a safe and proper lookout.
