WYOMING, Mich. — 13-year-old Anthony Marquez, a Wyoming teenager, died Tuesday, two weeks after he was hit by a car while walking to school.
"He was the sweetest boy ever. He was so loving, never harmed anyone. He was always so positive. I knew since he was little that he was an angel," Marquez's mother Vicki Rodriguez said.
Anthony's mother says her son was a fighter.
"He was always super positive. He loved playing soccer. He loves working out. He will lift weights in his room all the time. He wanted to be a boxer," she added.
She said she finds comfort knowing he's no longer in pain. "And I know that he's in heaven. And so that's what helped that was helping me cope through this."
Rodriguez lost her one and only son weeks before she is set to bring one of his siblings into this world.
On March 14th, Rodriguez was at the doctor's as she inched closer to her due date. She says normally she takes her kids to school but couldn't because of the appointment.
So, Anthony walked to school and crossed the street at 44th St and Byron Center Avenue around 7 a.m. that day. Since then, Vicki hasn't gone back to the intersection.
"I never thought it was safe. I never thought it would happen to my kids because I always tell my kids to be careful when they cross the street," she said.
Police say the driver stopped and spoke to investigators after the crash. Rodriguez said she's still waiting for answers.
"I feel like there's always cars going really fast. And I think about these things because I have children. And I feel like if people would just pay attention and be careful with the kids. Like there's a lot of kids going to school that at that time," Rodriguez said.
She hopes everyone will learn a lesson from her loss.
"Don't take life for granted because your life can change in a blink of an eye," Rodriguez said.
You can help the family by visiting the family's GoFundMe here.
