The son of an Iowa basketball coach has temporarily lost his driver’s license after being found guilty in a crash that killed a pedestrian in May.

Iowa Basketball Coach Fran McCaffery’s son Jonathan, who goes by Jack, earlier was cited in connection with a car vs. pedestrian crash that killed a National Guardsman.

Jonathan McCaffery was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian’s right of way. A Johnson County Court document dated Oct. 25 says the court sentenced him to pay a fine of $1,000, a criminal penalty surcharge of 15 percent plus court costs.

Additionally, his driver’s license is suspended for a period of 180 days. “The sentence in this
matter is in accord with a Sentencing Agreement and Waiver of Sentencing Hearing filed by the
Defendant’s counsel and signed by counsel for both parties,” according to court documents.

The fatal crash

On May 22, McCaffery was driving in the left westbound lane on Melrose Avenue in Iowa City, with a number of cars in the right westbound lane stopped at the intersection of Melrose Avenue and Kennedy Parkway, court documents show.

Court documents say McCaffery struck pedestrian Corey Hite, who came from in front of the stopped cars into his lane within the crosswalk at the intersection.

Hite, who was thrown into the air, “ultimately died of the injuries he received,” court documents say.

The state argued that McCaffery was guilty “because the statute is a public-welfare offense and does not include any intent requirement.” McCaffery’s counsel argued that “there was some contributory negligence by Mr. Hite which would negate criminal responsibility by Mr. McCaffery beyond a reasonable doubt.”

A judge determined “McCaffery is guilty under either legal theory,” documents say.

Witnesses testify

Witnesses testified they saw Hite at the crosswalk jogging in place before he was struck by McCaffery. “In various phrases, they all testified that Mr. Hite crossed in front of the stopped vehicles before entering the left-hand lane of traffic,” according to court documents.

Hite ended up about 100 feet from the crosswalk after he was hit, according to the testimony of an officer. A lens in his sunglasses landed 15 feet from the crosswalk and a second 27 feet from the crosswalk.

“The front tires of Mr. McCaffery’s vehicle stopped about 80 feet from the crosswalk. There was substantial damage to the front hood and windshield of Mr. McCaffery’s vehicle,” documents show.

In the documents, the judge found that “there is no intent requirement for a person to be found in violation of the statute.”

Hite “was lawfully within that crosswalk,” the court says in documents. “The court finds there were two warning signs advising Mr. McCaffery that a pedestrian crosswalk was ahead” and that he was familiar with the intersection “as he had driven in that area several times previously.”