A 91-year-old Butler County resident was left to cover part of his own car repairs after another driver rear-ended his vehicle in West Chester last month, but a local resident has stepped in to pay the rest of the bill. The crash happened Sept. 14 while both vehicles were passing a tow truck that was loading a disabled car on Butler Warren Road, according to news reports.
Neither driver was hurt in the collision, according to local12.com. The other driver, identified by wlwt.com as 26-year-old Salvador Hernandez Hidalgo, crashed into the back of the older man's car. Police cited Hernandez Hidalgo for driving without a valid license and for violating Ohio's assured-clear-distance law, which, under Ohio Revised Code, bars drivers from operating a vehicle at a speed that prevents them from stopping within the distance they can see ahead.
Driver Released, Then Taken Into ICE Custody
Hernandez Hidalgo was initially released following the crash, the station reported. He was later taken into custody on a detainer from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by the Butler County Sheriff's Office and transported to the Butler County Jail, per the same account.
The 91-year-old resident, meanwhile, was left to pay for the portion of his repairs that his own insurance did not cover, according to dayton247now.com. That is when another local resident, Roy Smith, offered to pay in full for the remaining costs, the station reported.
Sheriff's Office Praises Good Samaritan
The Butler County Sheriff's Office publicly thanked Smith for his generosity, compassion and willingness to help a community member. The station quoted the sheriff's office saying that someone like Roy coming along “shines a light on what it truly means to care for others in our community.”
Smith is a local real estate investor, according to the sheriff's office. The exact dollar amount of the repair bill, and how much of it insurance covered, has not been disclosed in available reporting.
