Family of 9-year-old Nolan Davidson sue hit-and-run driver in deadly 2023 Shawnee crash

Nine-year-old Nolan Davidson and his family were traveling from one basketball game to another in Shawnee on Dec. 1, 2023, when an alleged hit-and-run drunk driver caused a crash that took his life.

Though the criminal case is ongoing, his family filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit on April 19.

Just before 7 p.m. that Friday evening, a white truck struck the rear passenger side of the family’s vehicle where Nolan was seated, according to The Star’s previous reporting. The white truck, allegedly driven by Matthew Alexander Jacobo, fled the scene, Shawnee police said. Police dogs successfully located the suspect, and officers apprehended him.

Nolan died a week later of his injuries.

According to the lawsuit, the family said Nolan’s death was a direct result of Jacobo’s negligence. They asked the court to mandate Jacobo pay $75,000 for the wrongful death of Nolan, property damage and the emotional pain and suffering they suffered, the filing stated.

“Our family is hurting but we are finding comfort knowing that Nolan’s spirit left this earth and entered into a life of eternity in heaven,” the family previously said on their post on CaringBridge, a website that allows people to share medical updates with family and friends.

Jacobo, 26, is charged with second-degree murder in place of a previous charge for aggravated battery causing great harm. He was also previously charged with a failure to stop at an accident causing great harm, which has been updated to a charge for failure to stop at an accident with a known death, a level 5 felony.

Jacobo faces a third charge for possession of a firearm while driving under the influence, a misdemeanor.

A settlement hearing is scheduled for Friday.

Previous reporting by Robert Cronkleton and Kendrick Calfee was used in this article.