Purple Heart recipient killed trying to help motorist
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A soldier who stopped to help a motorist stranded on the left shoulder of the interstate was killed Thursday, stuck by his own car that a tractor-trailer had hit.
Capt. Aaron J. Eidem, 37, was heading home to Webb City, Mo., on Interstate 44 about 5 miles west of here shortly after sunset when he saw the disabled vehicle with a flat tire, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. He parked and got out to help move the vehicle to the right shoulder, which was perceived to be safer.
"He was a good Samaritan," said Sgt. Jason Pace of the highway patrol. "He stopped and was helping a vehicle with a flat tire."
A Peterbilt tractor-trailer driven by Thomas Fruth of Ohio came up from behind, struck Eidem's parked Toyota Avalon and went on to hit a 2002 Ford Explorer driven by Keely Keepper, 19, of Greenfield, Mo. Keepper's vehicle then struck a separate tractor-trailer.
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Eidem, who had a wife and three children, was taken to Cox South Hospital here and died shortly before 8 p.m. CT. He had been on active duty in the U.S. Army and was an adjunct faculty member and assistant professor of military science at Missouri State University since mid-2014.
"He served his country for almost 20 years as a military police officer and instructor," Victor Matthews, dean of MSU's College of Health and Human Services, said in a statement. "He deployed to combat three times, earning the Bronze Star and Purple Heart."
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Eidem, a Colorado native, served in combat in Iraq and also served in Germany, said Scott Morris, an MSU military science professor.
"He cared about the kids and wanted them to be leaders of character," he said. "What he brought to the classroom was exceptional. The students respected him."
Follow Claudette Riley on Twitter: @CRileyNL
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