Fran McCaffery's 16-year-old son cited with simple misdemeanor in fatal crash

Iowa City police cited Jack McCaffery, the 16-year-old son of Iowa men's basketball coach Fran McCaffery, with a simple misdemeanor after an accident that killed a 45-year-old National Guard soldier.

Jonathan "Jack" McCaffery was cited by police with failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk after the accident that occurred May 22.

McCaffery, an Iowa City West High School student who turns 17 on Friday, was driving a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe when he hit Corey Hite, of Cedar Rapids, shortly after 4 p.m. at a crosswalk.

McCaffery's family contends the accident was "unavoidable" and that another driver had waved the victim through the crosswalk.

Fran and Margaret McCaffery issued a statement Wednesday, waiting to comment out of respect for Hite's family and the Iowa City Police Department's investigation, according to their attorney, Joseph Moreland.

“On May 22nd, just after leaving school, our 16-year-old son was the driver in a vehicle/pedestrian accident. Investigators have told us that it was an unavoidable accident with no evidence to suggest distracted driving. The pedestrian, who was jogging at the time of the accident, was waved in front of our son’s passing vehicle by the driver of another vehicle. The jogger, Sgt. First Class Corey Hite, passed away two weeks after the accident from the injuries he sustained.

"We are devastated by this tragedy. SFC Hite’s family has our deepest sympathies."

Police cited Jack McCaffery after consulting with the Johnson County Attorney's Office, according to the release from police. He was charged with a simple misdemeanor punishable by a $1,000 fine, a driver’s license suspension of up to 180 days, or both.

Authorities initially did not reveal either party involved, noting only that an accident resulting in "serious injuries" had occurred.

Iowa City police identified Hite as the pedestrian involved on June 5, a day after he died, but withheld information on the driver, citing an "ongoing investigation."

“It is our duty and responsibility to conduct thorough investigations and thorough investigations — particularly those involving a death — take time,” Iowa City public safety information officer Lee Hermiston wrote in an email to the Press-Citizen on Wednesday. “We do not identify those involved in an investigation unless that person has been charged.”

Hite, a National Guard soldier nearing retirement, was on a run before the accident, according to a GoFundMe page. More than $8,000 had been raised as of Wednesday.

According to a CaringBridge site, Hite was rushed to the hospital for life-threatening injuries. He died nearly two weeks after the accident.

He was married to his wife for 22 years, and they had four children. Hite served 27 years in the Iowa Army National Guard, “focusing on improving diversity, equal opportunity, inclusion, and harassment prevention,” according to the memorial page.

Jack McCaffery is highly sought-after high school basketball recruit

Jack McCaffery, listed as a 6'8" forward, just completed his sophomore year at Iowa City West.

McCaffery revealed last month he would like to play college basketball outside of Iowa City, his hometown. He is rated as a four-star recruit by ESPN, the 58th-best prospect in the Class of 2025 and the top talent in the state of Iowa.

McCaffery averaged 16 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game last season. The Trojans finished 12-11 overall.

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached atrhansen@press-citizen.com or on Twitter @ryanhansen01.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Fran McCaffery's 16-year-old son cited in crash that killed Iowa man