Tragic update after boy was killed after getting off his school bus in Sydney
- Teenager died after being hit by a truck
- He was on his way home from school
A young boy who was tragically killed after being hit by a truck while getting off a school bus was excited to go home and see his beloved dog.
Joshua Pike, 13, was on his way home from school at around 3.30pm on Wednesday, October 11, when a van hit him as he tried to cross a road in Appin, 75km south-east of Sydney.
CCTV footage from a nearby house showed the boy sprawled on the road after the accident.
Josh was treated by paramedics at the scene before being flown to Westmead Children’s Hospital with a fractured skull.
He was placed in an induced coma and while his family and friends hoped he would pull through, he sadly died a week later.
Joshua Pike (pictured), 13, was on his way home at around 3.30pm on Wednesday, October 11 when a van hit him as he tried to cross a road in Appin, 75km south-east of Sydney
Family friend Jackie Austin said Josh “caught the bus home like any other day, but this day changed his life forever.”
“He got off the bus, excited to get home and see his dog Xena, crossed the road and unfortunately didn’t see the oncoming truck he collided with,” she wrote on a GoFundMe page.
Ms Austin started the fundraising campaign for Josh’s family, raising almost $50,000 for his funeral so far, with the remaining money donated to charity.
Ms Austin said the teenager had been ‘battling with his beautiful little heart for the past week’ but ultimately could not be saved from his ‘horrific’ injuries.
“He fought and fought with all the strength and energy he could, but unfortunately the injuries were so severe that God decided to take him home,” she said.
“The fight he put up was something to be in awe of.”
A family friend said Josh (pictured) had been ‘battling his beautiful little heart for the past week’ but sadly died from his injuries
Ms Austin said Josh’s organs would be donated so that his ‘love and kindness will live on in others in the most positive and most giving way that a young hero like Josh can’.
‘Josh is a beautiful boy who has lived life to the fullest. One character, one crazy, crazy laugh a minute,” she said.
“(For) everyone who not only knew him, but was fortunate enough to have him in their lives, it was an honor.
“May your beautiful little strong soul rest in peace Joshua Pike.”
The 38-year-old male truck driver was not injured and underwent mandatory tests at Campbelltown Hospital.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash is still ongoing.
CCTV footage from a nearby house showed Josh sprawled on the road after the tragic accident
Following his accident, local residents called for greater safety measures on the dangerous stretch of road.
Although the road has a speed limit of 50km/h, it is very busy during peak hours as a corridor for trucks traveling from Campbelltown to the NSW south coast.
Resident Ally Thomson asked ‘how are the children supposed to cross?’ when interviewed by 7NEWS, while Luke Clemens described the aftermath of the accident as “pretty heartbreaking.”
Wollondilly MP Judith Hannan said it has been a problem for decades, adding: “successive governments have told us what they are going to do with that road, and there has been no substantial change in 20 years.”