20-year-old crashed when allegedly racing with another car;
family takes him off life support
Morgan Hill – A 20-year-old man who was allegedly racing another vehicle down Butterfield Boulevard several weeks ago has died from injuries he suffered when he was ejected from the vehicle as it crashed.
Nicholas Schindler, known to family and friends as “Nick,” died early Sunday morning after his family made a difficult decision to remove him from life support.
His mother, Teri Schindler, sent an e-mail to family and friends Sunday morning, announcing the family’s loss.
Schindler, a 2003 Live Oak High graduate, is survived by his adoptive parents, Teri and Carl, his twin brother, David, and younger brother Michael.
Details of funeral arrangements and a planned memorial were not available at press time.
The accident that caused Schindler’s injuries occurred June 11. Witnesses told police Schindler, in a Mustang, was apparently racing someone driving a newer-model SUV, described as tan, silver or brown, possibly a Chevy Tahoe or Ford Expedition with dark tinted windows.
Both vehicles were northbound on Butterfield Boulevard about 11am, traveling more than 70 mph, according to police estimates, when the driver of the SUV allegedly turned in front of Schindler’s Mustang, “cutting him off,” witnesses said. The Mustang then swerved and hit the curb of the center median, launching through five elm trees and an irrigation pipe in the median before coming to rest against another tree in the median.
Schindler, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown through the driver’s side window as the Mustang was airborne, landing in the southbound lanes. He was flown by helicopter to Valley Medical Center, where he remained in intensive care until Sunday.
The driver of the SUV did not stop at the time of the accident, witnesses said, though he or she was likely aware of what happened.
Schindler suffered skull fractures when he was ejected from the Mustang and had surgery to relieve swelling in his brain. He was taken off medication in an attempt to stimulate some type of response, but he remained in a coma.
The driver of the SUV could face manslaughter or other charges as a result of the incident.
Anyone with information about the accident or the SUV is asked to contact the Morgan Hill Police Traffic Division at 779-2101.
