A vigil is set for 8:30 p.m. Saturday on the one-year anniversary of the day three children were hit by a car while walking home from Antioch Middle School.
The vigil will be held at the site of the accident on the corner of Sycamore Drive and Manzanita Way. At the time, witnesses reported a Chevrolet Impala trying to pass another car and hitting it on Sycamore Drive, sending the car into the three children who were on the sidewalk. The 29-year-old driver was later arrested, charged and is awaiting trial.
One of the children in the blended family, Gianathon Vincent, 12, succumbed to his injuries. The other two 12-year-olds, step-siblings, are still recovering, according to their grandmother Carla Spiro, who noted her grandson recently underwent surgery for his leg injury.
“What we’re trying to keep alive is that people need to slow down, especially near schools,” Spiro said.
The grandmother said the vigil, which is open to all, will also honor Gianathon, who lived with the other two children and was their cousin.
“The kids are getting stronger, but they still have a lot to go through,” Spiro said. “So we just wanted it to be a reminder to people, to just celebrate that they’re OK, and remember Jonathan’s passing.”
A GoFundMe account is at https://www.gofundme.com/f/family-devastated-by-children-being-hit-by-car.
Source: www.mercurynews.com