15-Year-Old Texas Boy Dies After Being Struck by Car on First Day of School
Landon Bourque, a sophomore on the football team at Frisco Heritage High School, "was a beloved member of the campus community," the Frisco ISD said
Tragedy struck in Frisco, Texas on Wednesday morning when a 15-year-old student was killed on his first day of school.
Landon Bourque, a sophomore at Frisco Heritage High School, was crossing Independence Parkway at George Washington Drive when the incident occurred, the McKinney Police Department said. NBC 5 in Dallas-Fort Worth added that the fatality happened near Roach Middle School around 5:30 a.m.
“The driver stopped and rendered aid but the victim did not survive. This is an ongoing investigation,” the police department shared via Facebook. It was not immediately known why Bourque was in the area so early, but NBC 5 did note that the 15-year-old was a member of his high school’s Heritage Coyotes football team. The news station spoke with parents who said they were dropping their kids off at football practice around that time and that it was extremely dark outside at that hour.
One resident who was interviewed by the outlet claimed the crossing guards normally stationed at that intersection had not arrived yet and said the cross streets have caused concern for quite some time. Others expressed the desire for more police presence at the intersection to monitor and deter speeding drivers.
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“You gotta think, that could have been your kid. That could have been your niece, your nephew, that could have been your daughter, your son, a grandson, or whatever. You've gotta slow down. You gotta slow down. I know these streets, they don't have a lot of lights and everything, but there's no reason [to be] going this fast in residential areas you know?" an individual who wished to remain anonymous told a reporter for the news station.
Police who arrived on the scene recovered debris from the accident, including the student’s disfigured bicycle and a pair of headphones. Due to the pending investigation, it is unclear if the driver or the victim was at fault, and it is unknown if any charges will be filed.
NBC 5 Dallas Fort Worth
15-year-old Frisco, TX boy killed on his bicycle on his first day of school“Landon was a beloved member of the campus community. His loss will be felt by the Coyote family and our thoughts go out to the Bourque family and loved ones,” the Frisco ISD said in a statement. School district officials made the grim announcement of the teen’s death to parents, students, and faculty.
Frisco ISD confirmed that counselors will be available on Heritage High School’s campus for those impacted by the loss. “Our hearts go out to everyone involved in this tragedy,” the McKinney Police Department continued in their Facebook post.
According to NBC News, just last week, a 12-year-old girl was killed while riding her bicycle in Southlake, Texas. The victim, identified as Victoria Dai, succumbed to her injuries on Aug. 3 after being hit by a pickup truck that morning around 9:30 a.m. First responders transported Dai to Baylor Scott and White Hospital in Grapevine, where she was listed in critical condition. By approximately 10:15 a.m., the young girl was pronounced dead.
This past spring, Dai became a member of the D'Feeters Kicks Soccer Club. “She was very sweet, very hardworking. She came in usually ready to go every single time she was there,” her coach, Jay Vielma, told NBC 5. “She was definitely a little more advanced than the rest of the group it felt like, so she was always pushing them and kind of helping them, guiding them.”
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“The soccer community is a really close-knit community. It really is in North Texas. It's so big. But when it's something like this, everyone comes together,” Vielma shared. With Lionel Messi scheduled to make a stop in the Lone Star State for last Sunday’s sold-out FC Dallas-Miami game, the coach decided to raffle off his tickets as a way to pay homage to the 12-year-old athlete and cover her funeral costs.
“I think Messi's the greatest player to ever walk this earth. But at the same time, I love my girls more. I love what I do as a coach more. That was more important for me to try to be there for my soccer family,” Vielma confessed.
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