West Ottawa student on bicycle struck and killed

Fri, Oct 3, 2008    to del.icio.us

HOLLAND TOWNSHIP — An 11-year-old boy died Thursday after being hit while riding his bike to Harbor Lights Middle School in Holland Township.

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Seventh-grader Giovanni Grimaldo was struck while crossing the south side of Riley Street from Westland Court at about 7:15 a.m., said Lt. Steve Kempker of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department.

Grimaldo had just left his home on Westland Court. He made it past both eastbound lanes and the center lane of Riley before being struck by a Ford Expedition driven by Lorena Kastro of Holland in the first westbound lane.

Kastro's vehicle hit Grimaldo's rear tire, which caused the bicycle to spin. She told police that she tried to veer her car to the left to avoid the crash, and a second vehicle — a Chevy Uplander van driven by Kristina Nesbitt of Allendale — then struck Grimaldo.

Grimaldo was pronounced dead on the scene by paramedics.

Kastro, 32, was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured in the crash, Kempker said.

Nesbitt, 28, and her juvenile passenger also were not injured. Both wore seatbelts, police said.

Just a shadow in the roadway

It appears speed wasn't a factor in the crash, but that the early morning darkness was, Kempker said. Witnesses told police they saw a "shadow in the roadway" before the boy was hit by the two cars.

The boy was wearing light clothing on top and dark clothing on the bottom, Kempker said.

Harbor Lights Middle School Principal Jeri Start said the district had sent a letter to parents home with the children stating that the parents could talk to her if they had any questions. A districtwide care team was on hand to counsel students and teachers on Thursday, and would be available today as well, Start said.

"I think we're all just trying to support each other, support the family and remain supportive," Start said. "That's our goal right now."

She said that Giovanni Grimaldo was "very well-liked" by his classmates.

Kempker said the crash remains under investigation by the sheriff's office. He said it will take police about two to three weeks to completely reconstruct the crash. When that's done, they will submit the report to the prosecutor's office.

Third student accident in area in one year

The Riley school corridor is particularly dangerous for students on their way to school. In 2007, two other West Ottawa students were injured after being hit by vehicles while walking or biking the corridor and were within three blocks of Thursday's fatal accident.

Eleven months ago, Devin Potter, 13, was struck by a car at the intersection of 136th Avenue and Riley Street. He sustained minor injuries to his left leg.

Just three weeks earlier, a similar accident occurred at the same intersection when Christopher Oonk, 12, a Harbor Lights Middle School student, suffered a broken leg in a hit-and-run crash.

"Our students' safety is definitely our first priority," West Ottawa Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Cindy Dymowski said Thursday. "I don't know specifically enough about this incident to comment on it at this time."

A West Ottawa administrative secretary said Thursday morning that Superintendent Patricia Koeze was working with the sheriff's office.

"There was a lot of need and grieving from teachers and students," Koeze said.

Megan Schmidt and Steve Kloosterman contributed to this story.