On the night of Aug. 27, Yecelia Alvarado received a call no mother wants to hear.
“My son was being taken to an emergency room, an accident occurred,” Alvarado told WTOP’s news partners at NBC Washington.
Miguel Angel Rivera had been riding an electric scooter to his dad’s house after leaving work. He was traveling on North Beauregard Street, and Alexandria police said he was making a left-hand turn onto Sanger Avenue when he was struck by a Black Toyota RAV-4. The driver remained on the scene. Alexandria Police are still investigating the crash.
Rivera was taken to the hospital where he remained on life support until he was removed Monday. Now, the 16-year-old’s friends and family are mourning his loss.
“It was very hard to see him in that bed with so much medication. I was waiting for a miracle from God,” his mother said.
Seila Santiago was Miguel Rivera’s girlfriend’s older sister. She told NBC Washington that Rivera had become part of the family.
“There’s no words. There’s no words. We lost an angel,” Santiago said.
“We just can’t fathom losing him. Like how? He was young, he had so much to live for. So many people cared for him. So many people are now heartbroken.”
The family organized a GoFundMe page to cover hospital and funeral costs. The fund has raised more than $21,000.