HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — A seventh-grade student died when he was hit by a vehicle Wednesday in Highlands Ranch.
A family friend identified the boy as 13-year-old Alex Mackiewicz. A GoFundMe page created to support his family says he had a bright future and loved baseball.
The crash happened near Highlands Ranch Parkway and Venneford Ranch Road, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office first tweeted about the crash at 7:16 a.m. Wednesday.
The Douglas County Sheriff told 9NEWS they do not believe speed was a factor in the crash, and they do not believe the driver was impaired. Sun glare may have been a factor, according to the Sheriff. He said they are also still investigating what the traffic signals were showing at the time of the crash. He hopes the investigation will finish early next week.
Later that day, the Douglas County School District sent a communication to families with students at Mountain Ridge Middle School notifying them about Alex's death. The school is not far from where the crash happened, and according to the GoFundMe page, he was headed to school at the time.
“I was shocked. That was the last thing I expected,” said Lydia Baldridge, whose daughter was in class with Alex. “It’s one thing to lose someone, but a child. There’s something about a child. They’re so young and so much potential and life. It’s so tragic.”
Lydia and Timothy Baldridge live two blocks from where the crash happened.
“I feel like I may not know him personally, but my daughter was in his class,” Lydia Baldridge said. “They graduated sixth grade together and, you know, went through that experience, and then knowing he is the same age as my child really, really hit home. And my heart really hurts for that family.”
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said Alex was riding a one-wheel, kind of like skateboard.
“I saw the police cars out here as our kids were going to school,” Timothy Baldridge said. “At the time we just kind of ‘Oh, another car crash,’ you know. It happens way too often around here, and this was worse.”
They didn’t realize what happened until later.
“We got a letter from our school saying that, you know, one of the kids at school had died,” Timothy Baldridge said. “They didn’t say how it happened, and then we kind of put two and two together.”
The community was having a hard time wrapping their heads around it.
“Some of the younger ones, you know, took it really hard just because they haven’t encountered the concept of death very much,” Timothy Baldridge said. “Our daughter seems to be taking it fairly well. All the kids seem to experience anger to sadness.”
“It’s a reminder, too, I think, sometimes our communities get so divided over so many issues, but when something like this happens, it’s kind of, you know, this is what really matters,” Timothy Baldridge said. “Supporting people who are hurting, and you can kind of forget all that and focus on loving our neighbor.”
The family held a vigil Thursday night at the intersection of Highlands Ranch Parkway and Venneford Ranch Road.
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