Educators remember 7-year-old boy killed in crash as kind, eager and a ‘joy’ to teach
The most recent post on Heather Hill’s Facebook page Tuesday was an image of her 7-year-old son, Drayden Drake, with angel wings. And that’s pretty much how his principal and teachers at Sierra View Elementary School in Oakdale described the boy, who died from injuries he suffered in a crash Sunday night in Merced County.
Drayden, a second-grader, was a fun-loving child who enjoyed school and always had a smile on his face, Principal Dave Kindred said in an email to The Bee on Tuesday. “Even in distance learning, he attended school each day on his Chromebook, eager to learn new things.”
Teacher Karin Osterli called him “a kind, happy boy who worked hard in school. Everyone liked him and he will be dearly missed.”
And Drayden’s first-grade teacher, Stacy Giesler, said he was “a joy” to teach. “His smile always brightened the room. Drayden was kind and was a good friend to others in our classroom.”
Counseling support is available for any children who may be struggling with the loss of their friend and classmate, Kindred said. “We have our school psychologist as well as our student assistant specialist through the Center for Human Services available to help,” he said, adding that families may call the school office at 848-4200 for assistance.
A giveinkind.com page titled “Drake Family” has been established to assist Drayden’s parents and siblings, who were seriously hurt in the crash. It offers help to the family with meal sign-ups, donations and more.
The three-vehicle collision southeast of Denair on Sunday night also injured Drayden’s parents, Hill and Tasjuan “TJ” Drake, and his 4-year-old sister and 2-year-old brother.
The CHP news release on the crash said Drake and Hill suffered major injuries and were taken to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto. The younger children suffered moderate injuries and were taken to Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera.
The crash occurred about 9:20 p.m. Sunday at Turlock and Oakdale roads in Merced County.
The CHP reported that the Drake family was northbound on Oakdale in a 2011 Cadillac SUV driven by Tasjuan Drake, 28. Hill, 25, was the front seat passenger, with the children in the rear.
Driving a 2015 Toyota Tacoma, 35-year-old Ripon resident Daniel Donham was in the southbound lane of Oakdale, waiting for the Cadillac to pass before making an eastbound turn onto Turlock Road, CHP Merced office spokesman Officer Eric Zuniga said, citing findings of the preliminary investigation.
And in the third vehicle, a 2013 Ford Fusion, 58-year-old Catherine Brehm of Coulterville was eastbound on Turlock Road. After stopping at the intersection, she pulled out into the path of the oncoming Cadillac, which had no stop sign, Zuniga said.
The CHP news release said only the 2- and 4-year-old in the Drakes’ SUV were wearing seat belts. But Hill told The Bee on Tuesday evening that she is “always all about car seat safety” and that Drayden was buckled.
She said her son “was extracted from the car because he was unresponsive and needed CPR before any first responders arrived.”
Lifesaving efforts were performed on Drayden, who was sitting in a rear middle seat, the CHP said. He was taken to Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock, where he died of his injuries.
The CHP said that Donham was not injured and that Brehm reported no injuries at the scene. But her son told The Bee she had been rushed to the hospital and was in stable condition after two emergency surgeries.
This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 1:28 PM.
