Boy, 8, takes family’s van to get gas and crashes; father says son wanted to do something nice

Ohio boy, 8, takes family van for gas, crashes

BETHEL, Ohio — An Ohio man says his 8-year-old son was just trying to do him a favor and get gasoline when the boy drove the family’s minivan and crashed it.

James Crouch says he didn’t even realize his son, Jordan, was out of the house Friday morning until a Clermont County sheriff’s deputy came to the family’s home in Bethel and woke him up to let him know what happened.

The boy says he used keys that he found in his mother’s purse and backed the car out of the driveway. He started going down the road at about 5 mph but could barely reach the pedals and lost control, crashing into a telephone pole. He wasn’t hurt.

Crouch says Jordan was still in his pajamas and just wanted to do something nice. He says he’s going to watch his son more closely now.