Before going out to celebrate a friend’s birthday, Aaron Deandre Radford told his grandmother he’d be back later to enjoy leftovers of her homemade shrimp alfredo.
That was just like him, his mother Dara Radford said. The 31-year-old was the type of person who went out of his way to make sure others knew how much he appreciated them.
Radford was likely looking forward to that midnight snack when he called for a Lyft home in the early morning hours of Sept. 20.
But he never made it back. Just before 3 a.m., a red Dodge Charger slammed into the passenger’s side of Radford’s rideshare at 77 mph. Radford was declared dead after being taken to an area hospital.
Data recovered from the Charger showed the car was traveling at 94 mph one second before impact, slowing to 77 mph immediately before the crash.
Investigators say Brayan Camacho Calleja, who now faces charges including reckless homicide, was drunk at the time of the crash and traveling with a “car crew.” He had previously been cited for driving without a valid license. Camacho Calleja is a rap artist better known as El Moreno Mexicano.
Radford’s family had long ago been warned that their time with him might be limited: When he was born at just over 24 weeks’ gestation, his mother said she was told to brace for the worst.
“He’s been defying the odds since birth,” Dara Radford said of a son that would become the eldest of five siblings.
Radford graduated from Herron High School, where he was the first recipient of the Founders’ Award, an accolade recognizing his positive attitude and leadership.
He then went on to attend Vincennes University for sports management, earning a degree that contributed to his success both as a youth basketball coach and as a formidable fantasy football foe.
At the time of his death, Radford was working as a delivery driver for Pep Boys and training to get his commercial driver’s license. His mother said that he was working on building his career so he could support the wife and children he hoped to have one day.
Family was one of the most — if not the most — important parts of Radford’s life. Until the day he died, he sent his mom a daily text to say that he loved her.
“Every single morning,” Dara Radford said. “I don’t mean two times a week, three times a week.”
More than 30 years after his birth, Radford’s mother still calls him her “miracle baby.” And she’s not the only one who thinks of his life that way: In 2018, a man who was a stranger to Radford credited him with his life.
Ben Miller was driving near the intersection of West 73rd Street and Woodland Drive on Aug. 9, 2018, when he began choking on a piece of food. He got out of his car and used his hands to indicate to a nearby motorist that he couldn’t breathe.
That driver jumped out of his truck and performed the Heimlich maneuver, saving Miller’s life. The next day, Miller made a Facebook post, looking to thank the man he knew only as Aaron.
After more than two years of searching, Miller finally found the man he was looking for: It was Radford.
“Today, my Wife has a husband, my 2 children have a father, ALL BECAUSE OF YOU,” Miller wrote of Radford.
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Herron grad credited with saving stranger’s life is killed in car crash
Reporting by Ryan Murphy, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
