‘He was almost home to me’: Mother devastated after son hit, killed by car while riding bike

BUCKEYE, Ariz. (AZFamily/Gray News) -- An Arizona family is mourning the loss of their 4-year-old son after he was hit and killed in his neighborhood Sunday while riding his bike home.

The parents of Robbie Mead said he was less than two weeks away from turning 5 years old.

Gabby Mead, Robbie’s mother, said the 4-year-old had made the trip many times before. They said they found out he had been hit when they heard sirens and someone shouting that a child had been hit.

“That’s when I went running and saw him on the ground,” said Gabby Mead. “He was almost home to me.”

Mead told AZFamily she was devastated.

“It’s heartbreaking,” she said. “We read about it on the news happening to other families, and you never think it could be your family and your son, and when you find out, it’s just earth-shattering.”

Buckeye police said they are investigating the collision.

Detectives said that speed and impairment do not seem to be factors in the crash.

Police said the driver stayed at the scene and attempted to save Robbie. The listed speed limit is 10 mph.

“It’s hard to think that if he was going 10 miles per hour, he couldn’t stop ‘cause I’ve gone up and down these aisles,” Mead said. “I’ve had kids run out in front of me and I could stop, so why couldn’t he?”

There is now a growing memorial for Robbie at the spot where he was killed, complete with chalk messages of mourning.

“He was a light in this dark world,” said Mead. “I want people to remember him as a happy kid.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Robbie’s family pay for funeral expenses. Donations can be made here.

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