NEW YORK, USA.- Thomas Molina Jr12 years old, lost his life after being hit by a car by a vehicle in West Hempstead, New York.
According to Nassau County Police and family friends, the boy was struck shortly before 1:00 p.m. Sunday while crossing Woodfield Road near Londonberg Street.
The boy suffered serious head injuries and was taken to a hospital but was pronounced dead minutes later, Nassau police said.
The driver of the vehicle, who was traveling south, remained at the scene. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, authorities said.
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A good student
Molina was a student at the High School West Hempstead. His family moved from Honduras to Long Island several years ago.
In a letter to parents in the West Hempstead School District, Superintendent Daniel Rehman described Thomas as an “active, hard-working student” who was learning English quickly and recently passed the state English test with high scores.
“Her teachers shared how she showed up every day during remote learning and was actively engaged in the learning process,” Rehman wrote.
He added that “the Secondary staff was impressed with his good character and dedication to his studies. Tomas was on his way to the honor roll. Tomas had a big smile and was always willing to lend a hand to a classmate.”
Emily Aghabi, whose son went to school with Thomas, started a GoFundMe to raise money for the child’s funeral and burial.
“It sounds like the family could really use some help,” Aghabi said. “We have a very small, tight-knit community here.”
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