A 13-year-old Andersen Middle School student struck by a car Friday morning has died. Eighth-grader Jeremiah Butrick-Chase was taken off life support at the Nebraska Medical Center Friday night.
The accident happened when he crossed the intersection of 144th and Harrison in Millard just after 7 a.m.
“Yeah, he crossed against the light.” Alicia Thomas and Matt Filkins say Jeremiah made a major mistake as they watched the horrible incident unfold. “He ran across the street in front of us and was waiting in the median. When she came through the intersection on a green light she would have never known he was there. The red Mazda just ran into him and I watched him fly across the road,” said Thomas.
The couple moved quickly to try and help. “We slammed on our brakes, put it in park, threw on the hazards and ran over. There were about five of us.”
One of his shoes flew off and his backpack was in the middle of the road. “We checked his pulse, his pulse was okay. We noticed he wasn't breathing, his pulse started fading, then the ambulance got here and took him away.”
Alicia and Matt couldn't believe what they just witnessed. It was all too real and every moment their thoughts were of their own and just how fortunate they were at that moment. “It's the only thing I can think of when I think of the whole thing is just my son, what if that were him?”
Tonya Sandoval also has a child attending Andersen Middle School. “The ambulance came by, passed us by and I did see somebody laying there.”
Tonya and other parents have been concerned about the high volume of traffic at the intersection. It moves quickly and so does the traffic control device. “I know there are street lights there, but I don’t know how effective they can be.”
The parents believe something needs to be done before this happens again. “An overpass, that may be a good idea. The community is growing and I think it’s going to continue to grow so that could be something that could work.”
A Millard Public Schools spokeswoman says extra counselors will be available for students and staff. Police say they will not issue any citations for this accident.
