OGDEN, Utah — A family is dealing with a tragedy after what should have been a fun night of watching fireworks on the Fourth of July in Ogden.
11-year-old Maya Burton is recovering in the hospital with a broken pelvis and internal injuries after she was hit by a man suspected of driving under the influence of drugs and “sandwiched” between his truck and her aunt’s car, according to police and her family.
"It’s definitely very panicking,” said Heather Burton, Maya’s grandmother. “You don’t expect your son to call you with this kind of news."
Heather said the day started with the family celebrating the Fourth of July, and then Maya and some other family members went to watch fireworks near the Ogden airport.
"I got a call about 10:30 from my son, very upset and said that Maya had been hit,” she said.
According to the probable cause statement, a witness saw the suspect driving at “an unsafe speed.” The suspect was later identified as 49-year-old Tyler Allen Crouch. Ogden City Police confirmed that he was an officer from 2009 till his termination in 2017. Crouch also had two prior DUI convictions, so he was charged with a felony for this crash.
Heather said Maya was pinned between Crouch's truck and her aunt’s car. Her aunt and cousins were also hurt in the crash, but Maya’s injuries are the most severe.
"She’s just very tired, still in a lot of pain. She’s very brave,” Heather said. “She’s doing good, she’s just obviously hurting."
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Heather said she is grateful that the outcome was not worse, but still wishes this did not happen.
"Wish he wouldn’t have gotten behind the wheel,” Heather said. “This wouldn’t have happened to the grandkids.”
Maya's family said she is spunky, loves playing sports and is a kind friend, and now faces a long road to recovery.
"She loves Curious George and Spider-Man, she likes making TikToks, she likes doing her little crafts. She’s a fun kid,” said her aunt, Hadlee Burton. "I think the biggest thing is going to be the mental trauma of realizing that you were just trying to watch fireworks like everybody else does, and something life-changing like this happens."
Maya’s parents have four other children and, with Maya’s recovery, face mounting bills. A family friend has set up a GoFundMe for them, which can be found HERE. Another GoFundMe has also been set up to help some of the other victims, found HERE.
