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Craig Dean Rice

February 23, 1998 - July 13, 2003

It was the week before Craig would start kindergarten, in July 2003. He just graduated from preschool and his sister just finished first grade, when we all decided to take a vacation. We were all looking forward to not have to wake up early and to just spend time together. To kick off our vacation we headed over and spent the day at Marine World. It’s a place that we always went to during Halloween, but this time we wanted to go over while the weather was warm to enjoy the water rides.

We all bought season passes, as we planned on going to the water slides in Sacramento during our time off and then back to Marine World for Halloween.

After spending an awesome day at Marine World, we drove over to the beach to spend a few nights. After setting up our tent and we all got settled, we all fell asleep. Craig woke up early and started to play in the sand just outside the tent entry. He loved to play in the sand. Craig had gone crab fishing for the first time that day and saw his first real starfish. He was so happy, but that evening is when tragedy struck.

While backing up my 2003 4×4 truck, out of the camp ground driveway, I accidentally backed over my son. When I stopped my truck, I hopped out and saw my son lying underneath the truck.

Craig is sadly missed by his family. His personality could light up the world. His heart was so full of love. He was a boy who loved the Lord, as even on his last day, reminded us that Jesus died on the cross for us. Without him we are no longer a complete family. He will never, ever be forgotten.

Since this tragedy, we have learned how common this type of incident is occurring, and yet the public is not aware of how often and how much the automobile industry needs to take a more proactive approach with safety measures needed for around the outside of the vehicles. We are coordinating an event on July 9, 2005 that will educate dealership employees and consumers of this type of incident and the frequency. We are also bringing awareness to the public with regards to the latest technologies that can help prevent these type of horrible and preventable incidents.

The family of Craig
Mom, Dad and his sisters

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