Texas Surgeon & His 2 Young Children Found Dead: 'The Tragedy That This Family Has Endured Is Unimaginable'

A father and his young kids tragically lost their lives in an accident. The family man was a medical professional and a highly regarded school district board member.

Three people died in a plane crash on January 14, 2024, in Texas. According to the authorities, a small plane crashed in Parker County near Poolville, killing two passengers and the pilot.

One of the victims identified was Heath Smith and two children who shared the same last name and were aged six and eight years old. At the time of the report, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) could not tell how the kids related to Smith.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from DPS divulged the accident occurred near Lone Star Road and BJ Lane, away from the road, about 47 miles northwest of Fort North. The Parker County Sheriff's Office revealed the aircraft was a two-engine Cessna 310R en route to a Wise County airport.

A National Transportation Safety Board further disclosed that the plane departed Carrizo Springs, in Dimmit County, near the Texas-Mexico border shortly before 11 a.m.

The six-seat plane, which was manufactured in 1975, was reportedly traveling to Bridgeport when it crashed at 12:30 p.m. The wreckage was later discovered about 10 miles southwest of Bridgeport Municipal Airport, where it was scheduled to land at 12:20 p.m.

The authorities, including a LifeCare Ambulance and local fire departments, arrived at the scene just after 1 p.m. The Aviation Administration and NTSB will reportedly investigate the crash as the cause of it is currently unknown.

While some of those who lost their lives in the crash were not initially identified, school officials in Paradise confirmed that the pilot of the plane was Dr. Heath Smith, the school board vice president, and his two children were killed in the crash. The superintendent of Paradise Independent School District, Will Brewer, said in a statement:

"Our hearts are devastated for the Smith family. Words cannot fully express the grief that we feel for their loss. The tragedy that this family has endured is unimaginable."

Brewer further stated that Smith played an important role as an alumnus of the school district, a board member, and a parent. "He was passionate about his love for Paradise ISD and his impact on students and staff will be long-lasting," he added while asking people to pray for the trio's loved ones.

Per the school district, the father of two was first elected to the school board in November 2017 and was re-elected in November 2023, becoming the vice president. At the time of his untimely death, Smith was serving his third term as the Place 3 trustee on the Paradise ISD school board. His brother is reportedly also on the board.

Besides that, Smith was a general and bariatric surgeon and practiced at Wise Health System's My Bariatric Solutions in Forth North and had another office in Decatur.

He was born and bred in Paradise, Texas, of Wise County, and after graduating high school, the future medical profession enrolled at Texas A&M University at College Station. It was where he completed his undergraduate degree and medical school. Smith obtained his Doctor of Medicine in 2009 and completed his residency at Virginia Tech/Carillion Clinic in Roanoke, Virginia.

He participated in his first surgical case when he was 17 years old, and it only spurred his ambitions. Smith was a Fellow of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (FASMBS) and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

As a doctor, he had vast experience in several surgical procedures, including appendix, bariatric, breast, colonoscopy, colorectal, gallbladder, hernia, surgical oncology, and thyroid.

In addition to his daily work schedule, Smith offered Saturday consultations and strived to provide his patients with the latest surgical techniques and options regarding band to bypass to sleeve at his practice.

On his website, Smith expressed what he believed his patients deserved in terms of medical treatment and advice. "My patients deserve a physician and surgeon that will treat them with compassion and understanding. A physician that will listen to them and treat them with respect and dignity," he said.

Read more about a plane that crashed in Texas near a shopping center. An eye-witness recalled that there were "flames everywhere."