18-year-old accused of driving without valid license before Bonita Springs crash

An 18-year-old was arrested Saturday morning after deputies say he caused a crash that seriously injured a bicyclist while driving without a license in February.

According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Aron Sales-Garcia was arrested after deputies were called on Feb. 15 about a crash involving an injured bicyclist in front of 25211 Old US-41 in Bonita Springs. An investigator found that a 2022 Kia Telluride was traveling northbound in the outside travel lane of Old US-41. Sales-Garcia was driving a 2007 Mitsubishi Raider, making a left turn onto Old US-41 from a business when he struck the Kia at an angle. After being struck, the Kia lost control and spun off the roadway, where it struck Pedro Yat Castro, a 46-year-old man riding his bicycle southbound on the sidewalk.

After being struck by the Kia, Castro was thrown from his bicycle, sending him over a fence. Two witnesses to the crash told LCSO they saw Sales-Garcia’s Mitsubishi pull out and strike the Kia. When asked about the crash, Sales-Garcia said he wanted to make a left turn onto Old US-41, but his vision was blocked by a truck that was turning into the business he was leaving. As he began to make his turn, he struck the Kia.

Castro sustained abrasions, soft tissue damage to his shoulder that limited mobility, a rib fracture, a liver laceration and an arm fracture. These injuries required Castro to be admitted to the ICU unit of a hospital for treatment.

An NCIC/FCIC background check showed no record of a driver’s license for Sales-Garcia. On Saturday, deputies found Sales-Garcia at an address on Torchfire Trail and arrested him. He faces a charge of driving without a valid license and causing serious bodily injury with a vehicle.