Driver who struck young Phils fan gets 1 year

By Bill Reed, Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted: April 12, 2012

The driver of the pickup truck that critically injured 9-year-old Phillies fan Ryan White in San Francisco last summer was sentenced Wednesday to one year in prison.

Andrew Alan Vargas, 22, also was sentenced to five years' probation and must complete a nine-month DUI program and 100 hours of community service, according to a statement by District Attorney George Gascón.

Meanwhile, the lower Bucks County boy faces another major surgery Friday, his mother, Roseanne White, said.

"We're OK with it," Roseanne White said about the sentence. "I just wish Ryan was better before he [Vargas] finishes his sentence."

Vargas, who has been in prison since Aug. 11, could be released anytime from today until Aug. 11, an assistant district attorney said.

On Aug. 4, the Lower Makefield Township boy was hit near AT&T Park after he and his family watched the Phillies shut out the San Francisco Giants. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, a laceration to his liver, and a broken pelvis, left leg, and ankle.

During Ryan White's first weekend in the hospital, Phillies centerfielder Shane Victorino, manager Charlie Manuel, and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. visited and brought him autographed team gear. The boy was hospitalized for 37 days before returning home, and he has undergone several surgeries and procedures since.

Contact Bill Reed at 215-801-2964 or wreed@philly.com, or follow on Twitter @breedbucks. Read

his blog, "BucksInq," at www.philly.com/bucksinq.

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