Boy, 10, Dies from Injuries After Getting Hit by Car While Riding Scooter: 'He Was My Best Friend,' Says Dad
GoFundMe Austin Lobato
A Colorado community is mourning the loss of a 10-year-old boy who died following a fatal scooter crash on Saturday night.
After spending time with his friends, the boy — identified by family members as Austin Lobato — called his parents to tell them that he was heading home and would be back in five minutes, his father told NBC station KUSA.
When Chad Lobato and his wife heard sirens 20 minutes later, they rushed to the scene and arrived to see their son being transported to the hospital, reported ABC affiliate KMGH-TV.
"As a father in my heart, I'm telling him to fight, 'You're going to pull through this,' and he just didn't pull through," Chad told KUSA.
The Arvada Police Department said they responded to the crash on Candelas Parkway shortly before 7:40 p.m. local time.
"Arriving officers found a 10-year-old child riding an electric scooter had been struck by a car," police said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. "The driver of the car remained on the scene and cooperated with the investigation."
The 10-year-old died early the following morning.
"The Arvada Police Department Accident team is investigating this crash to determine if any charges are applicable. We do not believe speed or alcohol are factors in this crash," police said. "Our condolences go out to this child's family."
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Hours before the crash, Chad said that he and his wife were there for their son's football game, where he caught a pass and scored a touchdown.
"He was my best friend," Chad told KUSA. "Every parent's going to say their kid was the best kid, but man, in this case he was the best kid."
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Austin was remembered as a "fun, loving, and kind boy" who was the "best big brother."
The 10-year-old "loved adventure, his family, friends, and backflipping on the trampoline," according to a message on a GoFundMe page created to help the family with medical and memorial expenses.
"His warm, soft-spoken presence created a calmness amongst his rambunctious friends," the message continued.
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"The support we have received is overwhelming and blows my mind how far reaching it goes," Chad tells PEOPLE. "It goes a long way to soften the blow of this tragedy."
Any additional funds raised will go towards creating a scholarship fund in the boy's name.
As of Wednesday, the GoFundMe has raised over $70,000.
"It's impossible to imagine the devastation and loss felt by his parents, friends, family, and the Candelas Community," the organizer wrote. "Heartbreaking."
