An 8-year-old Lantana, Florida boy was killed in a tragic accident on Wednesday while playing a dangerous game of “chicken” on a busy street.
A family friend told The Palm Beach Post Thursday that LeAndre Jeremiah Desronvil might have been dared by older children to play the game. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said the children he was playing with ran away after LeAndre was struck by oncoming traffic.
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The game involved two drivers heading towards each other. Whoever gets out of the way of the other first is called a “chicken.” LeAndre and other children were on the median of Lantana Road, a six-lane roadway with a speed limit of 45 mph, and were trying to beat cars across the eastbound lanes.
LeAndre was struck by a 2017 Chevrolet Colorado in the center of the eastbound lanes and was killed at the scene. Firefighters from nearby stations responded to the scene.
“It’s not something I would expect him to be doing,” the family friend, who said LeAndre’s 12-year-old sister was among the children at the scene, told the Post. “He was too smart for that, but there were other kids involved.”
“Whether he knew you or not, he was just chatting you up and just wanted to know you, wanted to talk to you,” Laura Castello, the physical education teacher at LeAndre’s school, told NBC News affiliate WPTV. “Just to get to know everyone better.”
Guidance counselors were made available to students at Palm Beach Maritime Academy after police confirmed LeAndre was the victim of the crash.
The Post reports that the driver of the car that struck LeAndre, Joseph Ingrassia, stayed at the scene until first responders arrived. The sheriff’s office didn’t say if Ingrassia will face charges, but the Florida Department of Children and Families is investigating.
Photo credit: NBC, WPTV
