Sad And Tragic — DUI Crash Spells Tragedy For Utah Family

This keeps happening and it's sickening.

This past weekend, a man with the common sense of a house plant decided to get behind the wheel of a huge Ford Expedition (approximate weight: 7,000-pounds) despite being sopping drunk, blew through a stop sign, crashed into a much smaller car, propelling it into another smaller car.

The accident in Washington City left three people injured and ended the young life of Ace B. Ramirez, a 7-year-old who was a passenger in one of the cars.

The man arrested for causing the accident, Tracy Sandoval, tested positive for driving under the influence of alcohol and had a blood alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit. His BAC was .148.

Sandoval was also on probation at the time of the crash. He has been charged with at least half a dozen serious crimes, but the one that hurts the most is automobile homicide.

Little Ace Ramirez had an infectious smile, loved skateboarding and was learning Chinese as part of his dual-immersion education.

His will forever be a life unfulfilled, cut short by a thoughtless criminal who decided his world was better, more important than anyone else's.

Sandoval fled the scene in his Ford Expedition immediately after causing the crash. Police say he returned awhile later after he “started to feel bad.”

Arresting documents say Sandoval knew he caused the accident and admitted as much. His Expedition was heavily damaged in the crash and his license plate came off in the crash and was at the scene of the tragedy.

Sandoval reportedly told police he was trying to pick up his cell phone, which had fallen on the floor, when he ran the stop sign, and never saw the car carrying Ramirez until it was too late.

Regardless of the reason, he never should have been behind the wheel.

And now at least five lives have been altered forever. Three people are dealing with serious injuries, little Ace lost his life and Sandoval will likely spend a long time in prison.

It is, indeed, a sad and tragic story.

More: Some social media reaction to the accident:

• "These first responders were amazing tonight. Those firefighters worked hard on that little boy! I’m so sad for this family!" -- Mandy G
• "Shame on anybody who thinks it’s ok to drink and drive or be on meds and drive!! We have taxi service, Uber, there’s ways to get around!! I hope this driver sits in jail for a long time and thinks about what they did!!' -- Jennie B.
• "Oh my gosh how heartbreaking! I drove past the area just as police and the fire dept were turning into the neighborhood. That is not usually a heavy traffic area.. just so tragic. Condolences to the family of the child." -- Julie C.
• "Please stay in if you plan to drink this weekend. It's not worth it. This family will never have the same 4th of July weekend again." -- Tawsha C.
• "A $20 Uber ride could have prevented this. Drive safe people. Prayers to the family of those affected." -- Keisha N.

A Venmo account to help with the funeral and medical expenses for Ace's family is @Bri-Ramirez-1.