High school teacher dies after senior prank goes wrong

What some would call a harmless prank went terribly wrong and left a high school teacher dead and several students are facing charges.

A prank involved five of Jason Hughes’ students coming to his house and toilet papering it, WSB reported.

Hughes’ family said that he knew they were going to come and he was excited about it.

But it had been raining on March 6 and Hughes slipped and fell into the road when one of the students was driving away, running over the math teacher and golf coach.

The students stopped and tried to administer first aid, The New York Times reported. First responders took Hughes to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead, The New York Times reported.

The student, Jayden Wallace, 18, was charged with vehicular homicide, a felony. The other teens involved are facing misdemeanor charges of criminal trespass and littering on private property.

All five teens were released on bond on March 8.

Hughes’ wife, Laura, who also taught at the same school her husband did, said his family “supports getting the charges dropped for all involved.”

“This is a terrible tragedy, and our family is determined to prevent a separate tragedy from occurring, ruining the lives of these students,” Laura Hughes told The New York Times. “This would be counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for his family to cover immediate expenses and set up a college fund for his sons, WSB reported.

It had an initial goal of $75,000, but surpassed $231,000.

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