In a recent court proceeding, Kaitlyn Hyde, a 26-year-old local of Hamilton, entered a plea of not guilty to the misdemeanor charge of vehicular homicide in connection with the death of a Lakota teenager, as reported by FOX19. On the day of the incident, Hyde had her infant son with her, who was only a few months old at the time of the crash, which took place outside Lakota East Freshman School in Liberty Township.
According to WKRC, Hyde was reportedly distracted by attending to her son, specifically adjusting his pacifier, which might have contributed to her not yielding the right of way and subsequently striking 15-year-old Aspen Runnels, who was navigating the crosswalk at the time of the collision. The crash report stated that Hyde, who was driving a pickup truck, failed to stop for the teen.
The incident occurred on May 15, and details outlined by WCPO indicate the crash unfolded just after the school’s dismissal time at around 2 p.m. when Runnels was in the crosswalk at Bethany Road and Liberty Court intersection. Following the tragedy, a Butler County grand jury opted not to indict Hyde on a felony vehicular homicide charge. Still, it determined sufficient probable cause to proceed with misdemeanor charges.
The latest from FOX19 reveals that alongside the claim of distraction due to her infant son, Hyde was also said to be speeding within a school zone, compounding the risk factors leading to the fatal event; this collection of circumstances, including the speeding, the distraction, the tragic collision, paints a grim picture of the incident that has inexorably altered two families, shattering one with the loss of a child. At the same time, the other faces the consequences of a moment's inattention.
