HASTINGS, Fla. – Family of 14-year-old Xavier Santana shared stories and photos of the St. Johns County teen who died after his bike was hit by a passing driver Sunday night.
Xavier Santana’s older brother, Daniel Santana, set up a GoFundMe account for the family. According to a St. Johns County School District spokesperson, Xavier Santana was a seventh grader at St. Johns Technical High School.
“It really hurt, we’re just talking about spring break,” Daniel Santana said. “It really hurt me because we were so close. I just talked him that same day at 3:40 and that happened at 6.”
Daniel Santana describes his little brother as a caring, hard-working teen, with a healthy sense of humor.
“He was a funny person , he for sure boosted up the room,” Daniel Santana said.
Stephanie and James Cheely were driving down County Road 13, near Hastings, when they noticed a firetruck with emergency lights and sirens, heading to the scene of the crash.
“I just started crying because, I mean, I couldn’t imagine, was just really, really sad,” Stephanie Cheely said.
James Cheely said, “A man standing out there told us to turn around that a boy had been killed on the bicycle and they’d probably be closing the road off at the moment.”
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the pick-up truck hit the 14-year-old on a bicycle, and the teen died on impact.
Stephanie Cheely said that even though she didn’t know the teen, she’s heartbroken.
“I was putting myself in the parents’ shoes, and I was, like, oh, my gosh, like, I don’t know how I would react, you know, if my kid was hit and just died like that,” she said. “It’s horrible.”
Xavier Santana’s bike was not outfitted with lights, and the crash happened more than an hour after sunset.
Stephanie Cheely said the deadly crash is serving as a reminder to speak with her own kids about safety on the road.
“Kind of explain to them you know, this can happen you know, make sure that you’re wearing length clothing and wear, you know, a helmet and lights and everything that you need,” Stephanie Cheely said.
There is a law in Florida that anyone riding a bicycle after sunset and before sunrise has to have front and backlights, visible from 500 feet and 600 feet respectively.
Xavier Santana was not wearing a helmet, which is law for anyone under the age of 16 on a bicycle.