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Alex CabreroAn Iron County man who bought his teenage son a truck could be facing charges for buying that truck. His son is only 13-years old, but while on a joy ride, according to police, he ended up killing his good friend in an accident.
The victim's mother says she's upset, but not angry. Rose Giles says she understands this was just an accident, that no one ever meant to kill her 14-year old son. Now she's just doing her best to remember the good times.
Rose Giles: "He had the cutest smile."
Rose Giles has looked at her son's pictures a million times.
Rose Giles: "Oh, he's grown so much."
She'd give anything to see him in person, just one more time.
Rose Giles: "It was just a tragic accident, and you know, kids are gonna be kids."
Her 14-year old son, Austin Shephard, who was pretty good balancing on his skateboard, just couldn't keep his balance in the bed of a pick-up truck. This past Friday, while riding with friends in the Three Peaks Recreation Area near Cedar City, he was thrown out of the truck, landed on his head and died instantly.
Rose Giles: "Next thing I knew, I was calling the hospitals."
Giles said police told her the truck was driven by a 13-year old boy, whose father had given him the truck. They were hunting rabbits on a dirt road, going close to 40 miles an hour, when the driver turned too sharp on a curve, causing Shephard to fly out.
Rose Giles: "I miss him dearly."
Even though she misses him, Giles isn't mad at the teenage driver or his father.
Rose Giles: "If you hold a lot of anger in you, it hurts you a lot more."
But Iron County sheriff's investigators are asking the county attorney to look into negligence charges against the father who bought the truck and his teenage boy. Deputies are also questioning if the teens involved in the accident called their parents before calling 911.
