Photo Credit: Billy Watson/Hutchinson News
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Tragedy struck the Kansas high school track and field and girls basketball community this past week with the news of William 'Trey' Jones' death, along with the news of his daughter's and wife's fight in the hospital.
Jones, 42, the head track and field coach of Nickerson High School and the father of elite high school basketball player Ava Jones, died on Thursday at the University of Louisville Hospital after being hit by a car on Tuesday, ESPN reported.
The Jefferson County Coroner's Office confirmed his death to the Louisville Courier-Journal, according to The New York Post.
Ava Jones is in critical condition, along with her mother, Amy. Her younger brother reportedly suffered minor injuries. Mary Jones, the mother of Trey Jones, told the Hutchinson News that both her granddaughter and daughter-in-law are in "stable but critical" condition.
Last week, Jones was with his daughter and his family for a girls basketball tournament when a car making a left turn swerved out of the lane and struck all four individuals as they were walking on the sidewalk in downtown Louisville. The crash occurred at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 5, on Second and Market Street, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.
The alleged driver, Michael Hurley, 33, was arrested and charged with one count of murder, driving under the influence and four counts of first-degree assault, according to the Post.
According to the LCJ, who obtained the arrest citation, Hurley told officers afterward that he was "so tired that he could not make the turn" and that he had taken hydrocodone.
Just seven days ago, two days before the accident, Ava Jones committed to the University of Iowa's women's basketball program.
Jones competed at the Kansas State Track and Field Championships this spring and finished second in the high jump, third in the pole vault and seventh in the javelin.
According to Kansas MileSplit, a candlelight vigil for the Jones' family will take place on Sunday, July 10, at the Nickerson High School track. It will begin at 8:45 p.m. CST. A GoFundMe has also been set up to support the family in their time of need.