Grandfather trying to help grandson killed in a car crash

PLATTE COUNTY, Mo. — Many tears have been shed and disbelief abounds for a Northland family after 64-year-old Donald Rippy was killed in a car accident Monday night. Rippy was sitting in his car with his grandson, Parker, on the shoulder of 152 Highway near I-435 in northwest Platte County.

The two were waiting for Parker’s car to cool down, it had overheated. While the two waited, an SUV slammed into the back of them.

The suspected driver of the SUV will likely face multiple charges, including vehicular manslaughter, but authorities have to wait until blood tests come back. About the time the suspect was released from custody on Tuesday afternoon, Rippy’s widow and several family members began making funeral arrangements.

“Always there for the family, always,” said Linda Gudde, Rippy’s sister-in-law.

Gudde knew Rippy for half a century. He married her sister almost 47 years ago.

“Her life is changed, I mean they’ve been together since they were in middle school, she doesn’t know anything any kind of life without him in it,” explained Gudde.

Rippy was always helping where he could. That’s how he ended up on the side of the road Monday night. Parker’s car was acting up and the two thought they had it fixed and took it on a test drive.

“It overheated, and so Parker pulled it over to the side of the highway, Rip pulled over behind him and at 10:03 he called and told my sister they were broke down,” said Gudde.

They pulled onto the shoulder of 152, just past its intersection with Interstate 435. They didn’t call for a ride, they were just going to let the engine cool down. Both were sitting in Rippy’s car when it happened.

“At 10:20 Parker called and said, ‘We’ve been hit,'” Gudde said.

It was a call that will forever change the Rippy family, but Gudde was quick to point out that it will change another family, too.

“I don’t believe he (suspect) got up yesterday morning and said, ‘Let me see if I can go have an accident and cause some devastation to another family.’ But he did the things he did and did not take into consideration there’s other people and consequences to your actions,” she said.

Forgiveness is possible for the Rippy family, but they insist that justice come first. The suspected driver was released Monday afternoon. Charges are expected to be filed when blood tests come back. Troopers on the scene feel strongly that alcohol played a factor in the accident.