On January 12, in the area of La Frontera (Pinamar), Bastian Jerez was seriously injured as a result of a strong impact between the UTV in which he was traveling and a white Amarok truck.
Manuel Molinari – driver – and Brisa Soledad Martín were in the Volkswagen. The smallest vehicle was driven by Naomi Azul Quiros, accompanied by a 9-year-old girl, another 8-year-old girl, Maximiliano Jerez and Bastian, her son. They all had their belts on, except for this last one, who was on his father’s lap without protection or precautions, other than a brotherly hug.
The 8-year-old boy was rushed to a local hospital, where he underwent two operations; Due to the severity of his condition, he was transferred by medical helicopter to the “Don Victorio Tetamanti” Maternal and Child sanatorium in Mar del Plata, where five more surgeries were performed. Due to the need for acute treatment, on February 9 he was transferred to the Italian Hospital of San Justo, where he remains in intensive care. On the 18th of the same month he underwent the ninth operation: he had not woken up in the morning for a few days and he entered the operating room due to a head valve that did not drain properly. Just five days later he needed the tenth surgical intervention, given that he is producing more cerebrospinal fluid than normal and that would complicate sufficient drainage of the valve and, logically, the positive evolution.
The doctors are concerned because Bastian has very low palpitations and is not waking up like he used to in the morning. The mother and father follow all the development very closely and we have verified that he is a very strong boy.
In the case, prosecutor Sergio García charged Naomi Quiros and Manuel Molinari, the two drivers—who also tested positive for alcohol—and also Maximiliano. The prosecutor carefully monitors the child’s development because this has a direct interference with the legal qualification.
Within the legal framework, a process was issued to determine the health conditions of Bastian and the two girls, ages 8 and 9. I give special importance to the results that the expertise may provide on the computers of the Amarok and the UTV, given that knowing the speed at which each vehicle was going will serve to determine responsibilities. The person in the truck has a big problem if it is determined that he was driving hard and was also drunk.
Maximiliano focuses on what is urgent and important: his son’s health. You can’t talk about the legal qualification or anything. Their world is the baby’s health.
I think that if something happens to Bastian, the father would hardly be able to cope with it. I have talked about it with his relatives and his friends. The boy maintains a very special bond with his father, I would say that they are one person. The guilt that man feels… Even if he gets life, it is nothing compared to what he is suffering.
Maximiliano has psychological support due to the shock he experienced after the incident in Pinamar. When the baby is well, he is very positive and has emotional euphoria. But when something negative happens, everything looks dark. It does not achieve stability. Despite the guilt you may feel over the outcome of a bad decision, your charge stands.
I think Maximiliano’s thing is going to end in nothing. When the speed of the Amarok is determined and that the driver was drunk, the fact that Bastian was not wearing a seatbelt will become a misfortune of the past, it will not be an issue of guilt.
Every year there are new cases of collisions or incidents linked to the misuse of UTVs, ATVs, and 4×4 trucks. It has to do with the lack of control, but also with the absence of the State, which only after this misfortune took action on the matter.
He is very upset because it was a two minute walk. Now reflect on why he went up without certain care; He is the first to blame himself. This was a disgrace, beyond his actions. In the best case scenario, Bastian is going to have a lot of complications.
In this case, a legal figure that is rarely mentioned appears clearly: natural punishment. I hope the best for Bastian and I am sure that Maximiliano is not going to end up with a criminal case; natural punishment absorbs all the rest.
opinion column
A necessary law, applicable?
Crimes committed by minors must be combated with three basic measures: a law that declares their punishability, adequate prisons for their accommodation and, finally, prevention. Each of these pillars is equally important and essential.
The law must exist so that it can be applied; prisons must be available to house those found responsible; and prevention must be brought forward to prevent us from having to mourn new victims.
It is worth remembering that criminal law comes after the crime, while prevention works to prevent it. This dynamic requires a budget in all cases, because the necessary structures—including prisons—must exist at the time of the implementation of any legal reform.
Dr. Matías Morla
Image gallery
