What did Fran McCaffery's son do? Iowa City car accident explained

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffery's youngest son was involved in an accident that resulted in a National Guardsman's death. Jonathan McCaffery, or Jack to those close to him, was issued a citation for a simple misdemeanor traffic violation.

According to the New York Post, the 16-year-old was driving his vehicle from school on May 22 when he accidentally hit Corey Hite at around 4:00 p.m. Hite, who was jogging, was a 27-year veteran of the Iowa Army National Guard and was three weeks away from retiring when it happened.

Hite, who was a Sergeant First Class, suffered serious injuries, including skull fractures, a fractured pelvis, and perforated lung and kidney. He died of his injuries 13 days later on June 4.

The accident happened near Iowa City West High School. A police investigation was conducted and Fran McCaffery's son was cited for his failure to yield to a pedestrian on a crosswalk.

Here's the statement from the investigators:

"Following a thorough investigation, and after consultation with the Johnson County Attorney’s Office, the driver of the vehicle that struck Hite, Jonathan J.F. McCaffery, 16, of North Liberty, has been cited with Failure to Yield to a Pedestrian in a Crosswalk, a simple misdemeanor."

According to Iowa law, a misdemeanor resulting in death comes with a $1,000 fine. Jonathan McCaffery's driver's license could also be suspended or he could be punished with both the fine and suspension.

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Fran McCaffery releases statement

Fran McCaffery of Iowa

Fran McCaffery and his wife Margaret released a statement about the incident via their lawyer Joseph T. Moreland of Hayek, Moreland, Smith & Bergus, L.L.P. in Iowa City.

"On May 22nd, just after leaving school, our 16-year-old son was the driver in a vehicle/pedestrian accident," the statement read. "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. While our family continues to process the events of the past weeks and help our son cope with this accident, we will have no further comment at this time."

Fran McCaffery has been in charge of Iowa's basketball program since 2010 and has compiled a record of 258-174. He has led the Hawkeyes to the NCAA tournament seven times, while winning the Big 10 championship in 2022.