Boy hurt in Plainfield crash that killed sister will not survive, family friend says
It is with extraordinary grief that I bring this update to you.
Ares is not going to survive his injuries.
The Facebook post came six days after Ares, 3, was severely injured in the vehicle crash that killed his infant sister. He had suffered multiple burns so severe, his mother couldn't even hold his hand while on life support at Riley Children's Hospital.
Ares will be an organ donor.
"[He was] the joy and the life of every room he entered," family friend Ashlee Vitz told IndyStar. A GoFundMe has been set up by Vitz to support the family.
Ares' baby sister, 2-month-old Iris, was pronounced deat at the crash scene. The children's father also was injured in the crash. He is no longer hospitalized, but his ribs are healing.
"He did everything he could to save the kids," Vitz said, "But he is still devastated at not being able to do it."
S'Doni Pettis: Man who crashed stolen car killing 2-month-old in police chase told police he was late for work
Ares' father had just taken him and his baby sister Iris for a visit with their grandparents. Before that, the family had finished a checkup at the doctor for the 2-month-old.
The family was traveling on U.S. 40 and Ronald Reagan Parkway in Plainfield Feb. 5 when S'Doni Pettis, 25, was driving a vehicle reported stolen fleeing Avon Police. He drove 90 mph into the family's red Ford Explorer, according to a probable cause for his arrest.
The collision caused the SUV to catch fire.
Police at the scene of the crash said he was disoriented and smelled of marijuana, according to court documents.
Pettis was arrested and indicted on eight counts connected to the deadly crash, including causing death while operating a vehicle and two counts of causing catastrophic injury while operating a vehicle.
IndyStar reached out to the Hendricks Prosecutor's Office to see if charges will be updated after Ares' passing. They have not commented by the time of this article's publication.
Pettis remained in the Hendricks County jail Tuesday afternoon.
Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formally Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Report: Boy, 3, hurt in Plainfield crash that killed sister won't survive
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