TRIGGER WARNING: This post contains information about stillbirth and infant loss, which may be triggering to some.
A pregnant Arizona mom couldn’t wait to meet her baby girl but claims a police officer who was driving drunk stole her moment. While driving in Mesa on May 24, 2024, Jade Shone was involved in a car accident at 22 weeks pregnant. Tempe Police Officer Zachary Hyde allegedly blew through an intersection without ensuring it was clear beforehand. In turn, he hit Shone’s car, killing her unborn baby. Now she’s suing the City of Tempe and Hyde for wrongful death.
The grieving mother told KPNX she immediately grabbed her belly. “After the impact and feeling the pain in my abdomen, took the seat belt off, and kind of just held my stomach for a second,” Shone said.
After arriving at a hospital, her worst fears became a reality.
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“It kind of felt that something wasn’t right. And she looked at me and let me know that you know, she couldn’t see the heart beating anymore, and that’s when we found out that we had lost her,” Shone recalled to KPNX.
Staff graciously moved Shone away from other expectant mothers to a private area to grieve.
“I was asked if I wanted to spend time with her, and I had told them, yeah. So after, after, you know, giving birth to my daughter, they, you know, they let me hold her for as long as I needed, yeah, and I stayed with her pretty much all day,” Shone said.
After learning the other car involved in the crash belonged to a police officer, the mother couldn’t believe it. Shone said, “You think that, you know they’d be more cautious about things like that.”
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Nearly nine months after the crash, Shone filed suit against the city and Hyde. According to her lawsuit, Shone claims Hyde turned on his lights seconds before entering the intersection of Dobson Road and Newar Broadway in Mesa but did not make sure it was clear first. He hit her Kia with his patrol SUV.
More than two months after the crash, per KPNX, police arrested Hyde on a charge of drunk driving. More than two hours after his arrest, he blew a .205 during a breathalyzer test. The officer reportedly claimed he’d had just two beers and refused a field sobriety test.
Ironically, Mothers Against Drunk Driving had honored Hyde the month before his arrest for his service to the Tempe Police Department. According to a Facebook post on June 29, 2024, Hyde and another officer received recognition.
“Congratulations to Officer Zachary Hyde and Officer Gavin Young. Last night both received the Hero award at the 35th annual Mothers Against Drunk Driving Law Enforcement recognition banquet,” the post reads. “Your hard work and diligence to ensuring the safety of our streets was recognized tonight among Officers from the whole State of Arizona.”
Shone’s lawyer, Alicia Funkhouser, told KPNX her client wants Hyde to understand that the rules still apply to him.
“I think it’s disappointing. I think it shows an officer who doesn’t have regard for the rules, who doesn’t have regard for the rule of law,” she said.
According to Arizona’s Family, Hyde went on leave following the accident and no longer works for the police department.
“We both really want justice for her,” Shone told Arizona’s Family. “I feel mainly for her. I know a lot of people say justice. But I want it for her; that is what I think about the most.”
