CINCO RANCH, Texas — Charges have been filed against the driver who struck and killed a boy on a bicycle in Cinco Ranch Thursday morning, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.
The 14-year-old boy was riding his bike to school and was at a crosswalk on Mason Road near Cinco Park when the car hit him.
Devin Delvalle, 20, remained at the scene but he was later arrested under the new Texas law that cracks down on drivers involved in crashes leading to the injury or death of a person at a crosswalk.
"This is a very sad and tragic incident on both sides, for the driver, and especially for the victim's family," Sheriff Eric Fagan said. "Drivers need to slow down and pay attention, and that's extremely important in areas that are heavily traveled by children."
When deputies arrived around 6:45 a.m., two good Samaritans with medical training had stopped to perform CPR on the boy, but he died.
The teen victim lived in the neighborhood and was heading to Cinco Ranch High School. His name hasn't been released.
“This was a child on the way to school,” Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton said. "Every part of this was avoidable. He died needlessly. This area was clearly marked, signage everywhere, there were all kinds of warnings. This is very avoidable. Slow down. Keep a proper lookout.”
Lisa Tory Smith Act, or 'Crosswalk Law'
Middleton said this is the second time in two weeks there’s been a tragedy like this in Fort Bend County.
An older man in the New Territory area was also hit and killed at a crosswalk while walking his dog.
Hoping to prevent tragedies like this, over the last few weeks, the Fort Bend County DA’s Office and officers have been out at elementary schools doing enforcement at crosswalks to educate drivers about the Lisa Tory Smith Act, or the “Crosswalk Law,” which Middleton helped pass.
Skelton said that pedestrians and drivers need to be more aware of what is going on around them.
“Going back to slowing down and paying attention to what we are doing, not only the pedestrians but the drivers, as a parent myself it is concerning,” FBCSO Lt. Ryan Skelton said. "I don’t want to have my children go through this. It’s always one of the hardest things is going to tell parents that their child is dead. Nobody ever likes doing that. It’s the hardest part of this job. We want to take actions to prevent that.”
Skeleton asked for the community to keep everyone involved in their thoughts and prayers.
"We ask the community to say prayers for his family and the driver’s family," he said.
Katy ISD released a statement about the victim.
"The Cinco Ranch High School community is deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic loss of one of our students. We extend our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the family during this difficult time and offer them our love and support while protecting their right to privacy. The school, with the full support of Katy ISD, is utilizing every resource available to provide the community with counseling services as we safeguard their emotional wellbeing."