SHEFFIELD, TX (08/15/2015) – A sleeping 4-year-old boy was killed when a drunk driver in a pickup truck crashed into a house on Saturday night.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers, 4-year-old Jonah Stille was killed after a drunk driver careened into the bedroom of his family home Saturday night in Sheffield, Texas.
Aaron Hinman (mugshot)
Authorities state that at around 11:15 p.m., 24-year-old Aaron Craig Hinman was traveling northbound on Highway 349 in a 2014 Ford F-150 at a high rate of speed. Hinman was said to have crossed a traffic island and crashed into the Stille’s home.
Neighbor Andy Vanderwier (who is also a volunteer fire/EMS for Sheffield as well as the Stille’s pastor) says that Jonah’s father heard the truck driving erratically and stepped out on to the porch of the home to see what was going on. “At a high rate of speed, he [the driver] missed the corner at the edge of town, and the dad having just stepped off the porch watched the truck plow into the house,” said Vanderwier.
Jonah, who was sleeping on the top bunk in his bedroom when the accident occurred, lost his life in the wreckage. He leaves behind his mother, father, and five brothers, one of whom was his twin.
“To know a child is dead in his dad’s arms, and to try and give him some comfort and convince him to let go of his son,” Vanderwier said while holding back tears.
According to police, Hinman is in the Pecos County jail. He has been charged with intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and injury to a child. Bond has been set for $25,000 for each charge.
Those wishing to make a donation to the family can do so via this GoFundMe campaign.
Commentary
I cannot imagine the pain that this family is going through right now. It’s heartbreaking to hear that a child has lost his life due to the actions of a drunk driver. While I’m comforted by the outpouring of support this family is receiving from friends, family and neighbors, I hope that the man responsible is held fully-accountable for his actions, both criminally and civilly. This man should never again be given the opportunity to put other’s lives at risk.
