The widow of an American teacher is pleading for charges to be dropped against a student who accidentally killed her husband during a toilet paper prank.

Jason Hughes, a maths teacher in Gainesville, Georgia, was run over outside his home as students attempted to flee late Thursday night (local time).

The group of five had thrown toilet paper rolls over a tree outside Hughes’ home when their practical joke went horribly wrong.

An “excited” Hughes came outside to surprise his students but tripped and fell on the wet ground.

As the students tried to take off from the scene in two separate cars, Hughes was inadvertently run over by one of them driving a ute.

The young driver, Jayden Ryan Wallace, 18, has been charged with vehicular homicide. He and two others stopped to try to help Hughes before emergency responders arrived.

Hughes died from his injuries at Gainesville’s Northeast Georgia Medical Center on Friday (local time).

All five students were charged with criminal trespass and littering on private property.

Hughes’ wife Laura, who works at the same school, said her husband knew about the planned prank and was “excited and waiting to catch them in the act”.

In a statement to the New York Times, she said the family wanted charges to be dropped.

“This is a terrible tragedy, and our family is determined to prevent a separate tragedy from occurring, ruining the lives of these students,” she said.

“This would be counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children.”