Driver charged with DUI after hitting and killing toddler who wandered into roadway, police say

ANDERSON, S.C. (FOX Carolina/Gray News) - A man accused of hitting and killing a toddler while driving under the influence in South Carolina was granted bond on Tuesday.

David Ronald Metz, 62, is charged with felony DUI involving death, according to Anderson police.

Metz was granted a $60,000 bond and placed under GPS monitoring.

The judge also ordered that Metz have no further contact with the victim’s family or with the restaurant near the crash.

Police said the crash took place Monday on South Murray Avenue near El Latino Bar and Grill before 8:15 p.m.

According to the Anderson County Coroner’s Office, 14-month-old Christopher Rodrigo Perez Tapia’s parents were cleaning the restaurant, which was closed at the time. The father walked out the back door to dump the trash and did not realize the toddler followed him outside. The toddler made his way to the road and was struck by Metz’s truck.

The coroner said Christopher’s cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries and the manner of death was accidental.

The Anderson Police Department and the South Carolina Highway Patrol are investigating the crash.