MILLER COUNTY, Mo. — Miller County What Thomas Lyon and his family thought would be a fun summer break turned out to be their worst fear.
Lyon was on Panama City Beach on Friday with his stepdaughter, niece, and nephew. Police say a drunk driver hit Lyon and killed him.
His wife’s mother says that as he was dying, Thomas pushed the kids out of the way, which saved their lives.
Lizzie Witt tells OzarksFirst, that Thomas and Makenzie Lyon’s first wedding anniversary was being celebrated by their family. At the same time, the couple had just found out they were pregnant.
“With my last bit of money, I’ll help my daughter fight for justice for her husband and the father of her children.” Witt said, “And now her unborn child will never meet his father, his or her father.”
Witt remembers that August 2nd was the worst day for her family.
Witt said, “The most important thing I want everyone to know is that he ran over three kids to save their lives and then died himself.”
The Florida State Highway Patrol says that the family was crossing Front Beach Road just after 9 p.m. when Casey Rattan, 39, hit Thomas with his car because he was going too fast. Police think Rattan was drunk at the time of the accident.
“We think speed might be a problem, but we want to make sure with our research methods before we say for sure that speed is a problem.” So those are all the things we’re working on to make sure everything is finished. “That’s when we’ll know for sure when this case is over in a few months,” said Lt. Jason King of the Florida State Highway Patrol.
Rattan was found guilty of DUI manslaughter and vehicular murder and was jailed. Witt and her family are upset that Ratton was let out on bond, though.
The family told me they are going to Florida to see every court date they can. More than $36,000 has been raised for the family through a GoFundMe page.
