Inset: Dalton Gibbs (GoFundMe). Background: News footage of the crash that killed Dalton Gibbs (KSL).
A Utah man who fatally struck a 9-year-old boy riding his bicycle home from school has avoided prison.
George Parker Hunter, 81, pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and negligent homicide in connection with the death of 9-year-old Dalton Gibbs. On Wednesday, he appeared in court for his sentencing, and Dalton's family spoke about the loss of their youngest child. In interviews and statements to local NBC affiliate KSL, Dalton's parents, Tyler Gibbs and Kim Gibbs, said they forgave Hunter and did not want him to go to prison.
The Gibbses' sentiments resulted in a lighter sentence for Hunter, who admitted that he "hit a bicycle, but I didn't think there was a kid on it."
On April 29, 2025, Hunter was behind the wheel of his white pickup truck when he turned into an intersection and struck Dalton, dragging the boy 50 feet with his truck while witnesses tried to get him to stop.
According to court documents, Dalton was finally freed from under Hunter's truck, but his bike remained stuck. Witnesses who spoke to investigators reportedly said that they tried to wave Hunter down while he was still driving, attempting to communicate to the older man that Dalton was underneath his vehicle. Instead of stopping, Hunter sped up and drove away.
When Hunter was questioned by police after being tracked down at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds nearby, he told them that he saw Dalton's bicycle under another driver's car. That driver reportedly got out of their car and tried to flag Hunter down; Hunter told police that he thought the other driver was waving him away.
An officer at the scene reportedly overheard Hunter say to someone, "I knew I hit a bicycle, but I didn't think there was a kid on it."
During Hunter's sentencing, Tyler Gibbs told the court that Dalton's death "has left an agonizing void. It's been excruciating. Every moment is now shrouded in sorrow due to his absence. We miss him every day."
According to courtroom reporting by KSL, the Gibbses requested that Hunter not serve any time in prison. Tyler Gibbs told the court that when he informed his wife of Dalton's death, she said, referring to Hunter, "[W]e need to pray for that man."
The judge reportedly recognized that Hunter admitted his role in Dalton's death, but said "the tragedy you've caused is incomprehensible." Taking the Gibbses' request into consideration, the judge suspended the statutory sentence of up to five years in prison and instead sentenced Hunter to 75 days in jail followed by three years' probation.