Family devastated as boy, 12, dies after being hit by car in front of brothers

24 February 2024 , 08:00

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Mathayus Ruedas died on Monday (Image: gofundme)

A family has been left heartbroken after a 12-year-old boy tragically died after being hit by a car in front of his horrified brothers.

Mathayus Ruedas was walking to school with his two younger siblings on the morning of February 15 when a vehicle hit him not far from their home. The boy, who attended Thomas Jefferson Biscayne Gardens Elementary in Miami, Florida, was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

He underwent surgery due to a brain hemorrhage, which caused severe inflammation. Doctors had to remove part of his skull to relieve some pressure but this did not stop the brain inflammation.

READ MORE: Mum runs over son, 7, with car after making him walk home from school as a punishment

The boy was in a critical condition in hospital after the crash (gofundme)

According to a GoFundMe page created to help his family, Mathayus had minimal brain activity following the incident and was also put on a ventilator after sustaining a bilateral lung collapse. On February 17, doctors took the boy off all medications, giving him "a small chance of survival", Juan Galarza, who created the fundraiser, said.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

He wrote: "Dr's have taken Mathayus off all medications and when doing so his vitals sporadically fluctuate. Mathayus is also on a Ventilator to help him breathe. Dr are giving him a small chance of survival but the family is not yet ready to give up on him. Mathayus still has his pulse and although his brain inflammation is a concern, the family is hanging on to faith that Mathayus will make it out of these tough times."

However, in a sad update shared on Monday, February 19, Mr Galarza said Mathayus "gained his angel wings" in the morning. According to GoFundMe, the boy's mum, Monica Sosa, is a single mum who was looking after Mathayus and his three siblings.

The fundraiser reads: "Mathayus gained his angel wings on Monday February 19, 2024 at 8:05am. Thank you everyone for all of your prayers, words of encouragement, and donations.

"This is an unfortunate event that has devastated the family for many years to come both emotionally and financially. We ask anyone who can empathise with this family to please donate anything you can, no matter the amount. I ask you all to please help spread this story by sharing the link. Thank you."

The GoFundMe page has a target of $60,000 (£47,600) and over $18,000 (£14,300) has so far been donated. If you would like to contribute to this fundraiser, you can do so by clicking here.

Chiara Fiorillo