This California dad showed one final act of kindness before he was tragically killed.
The community of Rocklin, just outside of Sacramento, is mourning the loss of beloved father of two Casey Rivara. While driving his kids home from swimming practice on Monday, the 41-year-old noticed a mother duck and her ducklings struggling to cross a busy intersection, so he decided to pull over and help out the little family waddle their way to the other side. Reportedly, neighbors and onlookers were cheering for Casey, even taking photos and videos of his chivalrous act as he helped the animals get to safety.
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He got the ducks safely to the other side of the road — but tragically, on his way back to his own kids, who were still in his vehicle, he was struck and killed by a car. According to the Rocklin Police Department, the driver was an unnamed 17-year-old girl who stayed at the scene until police arrived:
“The man was reportedly trying to help some ducklings that were in the intersection. As the man was in the intersection, a teenage driver was headed eastbound on Stanford Ranch Boulevard. This juvenile driver struck the pedestrian who was in the roadway. The driver remained at the scene of the collision. Emergency first responders arrived to assist, however the man died at the scene.”
So, so sad.
The investigation is still ongoing, but police are almost certain there won’t be any charges for the young girl, according to their statement to NBC:
“We still have a lot of areas and evidence to sort through, but at first look it does not look like there’s going to be any criminal negligence.”
A 12-year-old who was at the scene reported to KCRA what they saw, and their recount is absolutely chilling:
“He got out of the car and was shooing the ducks and everyone was clapping because he was being really nice. He helped them get up over the curb because all the little baby duckies were having trouble. My mom rolled down the window and said, ‘Good job, good job,’ and I said, ‘Good job’ to him too and then right after that, the second after that, [the car hit him]. I didn’t see the car actually hit him. All I remember is the sound and then him flying across the intersection. His shoes and one of his socks were right in front of our car.”
Knocked out of his shows. How terrifying and gut-wrenching. He was only trying to help, and it turned into a tragedy…
You can see more on the story (below):
An aunt of the victim, Tracey Rivara, organized a GoFundMe on behalf of his wife Ngating Chow, writing in the description:
“Casey met Angel, the love of his life, at age 17, when she joined his high school as an exchange student from Hong Kong. They quickly fell madly in love and remained inseparable partners for the past 23 years. They have been blessed with two beautiful children, Sophia (11) and James (6). His family was Casey’s world, and to remain even closer to them he had recently started working at their children’s school.”
She said his last act really showed what kind of person he always was:
“Casey was the kindest, most amazing husband and father. Even his last act in this world was a sign of his compassion.”
Such a heartbreaking story. Casey seemed to be incredibly loved and his family and community will forever be mourning this tragic loss. If you’d like to donate to the family, you can click HERE.
R.I.P.
[Image via KCRA/YouTube/GoFundMe]
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