12-year-old dies days after a car hit him while walking siblings to Miami-Dade school
.jpeg "Mathayus C. Rueda, 12, died after a car struck him while walking near Biscayne Gardens Elementary, 560 NW 151st St., on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, Miami-Dade police said.")
A 12-year-old student died several days after being hit by an SUV last week while walking his younger siblings to an elementary school off Interstate 95 in Miami-Dade County, according to a family friend.
Mathayus C. Rueda died Monday, Det. Angel Rodriguez, a spokesman with the Miami-Dade Police Department, told the Miami Herald on Tuesday.
The child couldn’t recover from the injuries he sustained in the Thursday crash, which included a brain bleed and a lung collapse, Juan Galarza, a family friend, said in the boy’s online fundraiser.
Galarza said the bleeding caused the brain to swell, which doctors tried to address by removing a portion of his skull to relieve the pressure.
Though connected to a ventilator for four days, the boy ultimately died.
“Mathayus gained his angel wings,” Galarza said.
‘Case remains under investigation’
Around 7 a.m. Thursday, paramedics rushed to Biscayne Gardens Elementary, 560 NW 151st St., after the SUV struck Mathayus, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said last week.
The child was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition and the driver stayed at the scene, police said.
According to police, a 24-year-old woman was behind the wheel of a 2009 Toyota Highlander when it hit Mathayus as he was crossing Northwest 151st Street mid-block, west of Northwest Fifth Ave., while not using a nearby marked crosswalk.
Officers do not suspect the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Det. Argemis Colome told the Herald on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Boy, 12, struck by car near a Miami-Dade elementary school, cops say
According to Galarza, Mathayus and his two younger siblings were on their morning walk to Biscayne Gardens Elementary when the crash happened. He noted the kids were less than three blocks away from their home.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools confirmed that Mathayus attended Biscayne Gardens Elementary.
“Since Thursday, we have had our crisis team at the school, which includes counselors, mental health workers and social workers,” spokesperson Elmo Lugo told the Herald.
It’s still unknown if the driver will face criminal charges.
“The case remains under investigation; therefore, everything is being taken under consideration,” Colome said.
Donations welcomed
The fundraiser, started to cover hospital costs, will be used to pay for Mathayus’ funeral expenses. Nearly $25,000 had been raised as of Wednesday afternoon.
“Please continue to share this campaign as his mom and siblings will need all the help we can provide,” Galarza said.
This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 4:32 PM.
