Driver Arrested In Mannford Boy’s Death
MANNFORD, OK — A Mannford family is dealt a terrible blow.
Nine-year-old Hershel Clark had just gotten off the school bus on Thursday afternoon when he was run over by a suspected intoxicated driver and killed.
Family photos reveal that Hershel Clark was a darling third grader. He was named after his grandfather and father, so his family called him Bubba. They say he was all boy and all country. He loved to fish and hunt, played basketball and baseball and enjoyed riding his four-wheeler.
He was the only boy with four sisters and a step sister, being raised by a single dad. A dad who is now struggling to make sense of his son being gone.
“I’d give anything to have him here with us and take back what happened but I can’t,” said his father, Hershel Clark.
The school bus dropped off Hershel and two of his cousins on a dirt road Thursday afternoon, where he was struck and killed by a truck. The driver, Phillip Dewayne Isaacs, was booked for first-degree manslaughter, open container and DUI-drugs.
The Clark family learned it will cost $4,000 for a funeral, not including the casket and burial, money they just don’t have.
A fund has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses at the Bank of Oklahoma. Money can be donated to the Hershel Clark Contribution Fund
People are so careless around children. Not just the drunk ones either. A couple years back it seemed like kids were getting hit coming and going to school 2 or 3 times a week. It was insane. The police had to really crack down and watch the schools. It did get better, but for awhile there I felt like everyone in town was driving drunk.
How awful for the family. I can’t even imagine losing one of my kids that way. The fact that my son gets called Bubba all the time by his sister just makes this hit even closer to home for me.
What kind of loser is so drunk in the middle of the afternoon that they don’t see a child? It’s not like jumping a curb or sideswiping your own mailbox, moron. You ended a human life, and the sick thing is, you probably didn’t even notice or care.
Just more proof that stupid people are dangerous and drunk stupid people are lethal.
March 11th, 2010 at 9:53 am
UPDATE: As expected, the media that erroneously reported the events of that tragic day and vilafied this man for this terrible accident did not do a follow up story about the facts as they finally came out in a court of law. Isaacs found NOT GUILTY of the 1st degree manslaughter charge. Why? Because he had not drank one drop of alcohol as the blood test reflected and was not under the influence of anything. Shame on the District Attorney’s office for overcharging him. This was a pure accident that could have happened to anyone pulling out of a driveway as is what happened. He should have been charged with negligent homicide, but the DA ignored the lead investigator and arresting officer on the scene who both recommended to the DA that this was an accident and negligent is their recommendation and what the jury ultimately gave Isaacs. Shame on the DA for putting the victims family through this again and putting Isaacs through something more than what he already has to live with the rest of his life. Shame on the Media outlets for such poor reporting without facts and for not reporting the results of the trial with those facts. And shame on you readers and gossipers for your comments and for trusting these reports and your thought process of “Guilty until proven innocent”.
July 13th, 2010 at 10:16 pm
I need a good lay… HaHa! Im tired of doing NOTHING in this town! if you’re fun to talk to or sweet by all means talk to me. Very cool post btw!