Massachusetts

Mom Speaks Out After 12-Year-Old Daughter Hit by Repeat Drunk Driver in South Boston

A Massachusetts mother is speaking out after her 12-year-old daughter was struck by an alleged drunk driver in South Boston on Saturday.

Kelly Bobbitt said her daughter Shalynn is at Tufts Medical Center in serious condition with a lacerated liver and many cuts on her legs and head.

Neighbors said that the driver, Richard Higgins, 78, of Attleboro, was pin balling — hitting parked cars on the side of Old Colony Road — shortly before striking Shalynn with his Ford Explorer.

"If it was a second sooner, he would have taken out the whole crew of kids," said Bobbitt.

The impact of the crash sent Shalynn flying over three parked cars before she landed on the sidewalk near her home.

State police said Higgins initially fled the scene but was apprehended at a nearby rotary. Higgins, who already has two OUIs, was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol in connection to Saturday's incident.

State police continue to investigate.

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