Fatal crash leaves one father grieving, another a suspect 11-year-old boy is praised for heroism as authorities look for his dad

A two-vehicle wreck killed two Aug. 18 on Texas 35 in Refugio County, near the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy of KAVU-TV) A two-vehicle wreck killed two Aug. 18 on Texas 35 in Refugio County, near the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy of KAVU-TV) Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close Fatal crash leaves one father grieving, another a suspect 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

While a young boy has been earning accolades for heroism in a horrific accident, his father has been indicted over two deaths caused by the wreck and is apparently avoiding authorities.

The center of the tragic story is a two-vehicle wreck Aug. 18 on Texas 35 in Refugio County, near the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

Two Austin residents died at the scene: Nicole Lowenberg, 45, one of the drivers, and Samuel Stoffregen, 14, a passenger in her 2007 Range Rover.

The southbound SUV, which also carried Lowenberg's two sons — Nicholas, 14, and Trey, 10 — was hit by a northbound pickup driven by 43-year-old Leo George Click, of Victoria, who allegedly crossed the center line.

Lowenberg was taking her sons and Samuel to the beach for a last vacation before the teens started high school, said Jonathan Stoffregen, Samuel's father.

The grieving dad has contacted media to report that Click, as of Wednesday, had not been arrested on charges stemming from the accident.

Click is due in court Dec. 16 following a Nov. 22 indictment on two charges of criminal negligent homicide and five charges of injury to a child, said Ray Hardy Jr., assistant district attorney for Refugio County.

Click is also wanted on a parole warrant issued Nov. 14 because he had stopped reporting to his parole officer, said Jason Clark, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Click had been on parole since May 2012 after serving part of a six-year sentence on a charge of family violence, Clark said.

"He's walked away from everything," Stoffregen said. "I'd like for him to do the right thing."

Stoffregen, a chef who owns a catering company in Austin, said the loss of his only child is the hardest thing he's ever done.

"It's one day, one breath, one step at a time," he said. "My whole life has been focused on being a dad."

Samuel, who was a cellist and avid scuba diver, wanted to be a marine biologist to help people understand the sea, his father said.

"He had an infectious smile," Stoffregen said of his son. "That's one of the big things people said — his smile always encouraged them to keep moving forward."

When the accident happened about 4:35 p.m. that Sunday, the impact spun the Range Rover around, while the pickup turned over but came to rest upright in a ditch, authorities said.

The four passengers in the 2012 Dodge Ram truck included Click's 11-year-old son, Leo "Willy" Click, his 9-year-old daughter and a niece, also 9.

Among the pickup occupants, Willy Click was the only one who remained conscious during the crash, said John Tait, commander of American Legion Post 166 in Victoria.

Tait learned about the accident from neighbors who are relatives of Willy's.

"It's a remarkable story what this little kid did," said Tait, a Vietnam War veteran. "He did what grown men on the battlefield wouldn't be able to do in circumstances like that."

For his heroic actions, the post presented him the Medal of Heroism at a ceremony Nov. 22. Tait said as far as he knew, it was the first time the post has awarded the medal to anyone.

Despite seatbelt burns, a broken finger and numerous cuts from broken glass, Willy got his sister and cousin out of the car, Tait said.

Barefoot and wearing just shorts and a T-shirt, he pulled off his shirt and used it as a bandage for his sister, who was bleeding profusely from the forehead, Tait said.

Unable to pull the two adults out of the truck, Willy ran up the embankment to the road and flagged down help, Tait said.

As a result, everyone got out of the vehicle before fire prevented their escape, he said.

"When we found out about it, we could not let it go," Tait said. "We had to do something to shine a light on this youngster."

The attention from a roomful of about 125 supporters embarrassed the boy, who's a straight-A student, Tait said.

"He told his mother, 'I'm not a hero,' " Tait said. "'I just did what I was supposed to do.' "