A family is devastated after a 12-year-old boy was struck and killed while walking home from school in South Los Angeles.
Derrick Serrano, 12, was walking home when he crossed the street near Vernon and Wadsworth Avenues at around 3 p.m. on April 18.
That’s when a driver struck and killed the boy. His mother, Claudia Gramajo, believes the deadly crash could’ve been prevented if proper safety measures had been in place.
“Derrick had a big heart,” Gramajo said tearfully. “The biggest heart you’ve ever known. He left home at 7:40 a.m. in the morning and he never came back.”
Serrano was a 6th grader at Carver Middle School located in the South Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.
It’s a short three-block walk home for him, but one that navigates heavily congested roads and intersections.
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Derrick Serrano, 12, is seen in a family photo. -
Claudia Gramajo mourns the death of her son, Derrick Serrano, on May 4, 2024. He was struck and killed by a driver in South Los Angeles. (KTLA) -
Claudia Gramajo and her son Derrick Serrano seen in a personal photo. -
A makeshift memorial seen near Carver Middle School is devoted to Derrick Serrano. (KTLA) -
Derrick Serrano, 12, is seen in a family photo. -
Derrick Serrano, 12, is seen in a family photo. -
Derrick Serrano and his family are seen in a personal photo. -
George Washington Carver Middle School in South Los Angeles, California. (Google Earth) -
The intersection next to Carver Middle School where Derrick Serrano, 12, was struck and killed on April 18, 2024. (Google Earth) -
A driver was seen doing dangerous street stunts near the intersection of Vernon and Wadsworth Avenues in South L.A. as KTLA was on the scene on May 4, 2024. (KTLA) -
Claudia Gramajo mourns the death of her son, Derrick Serrano, on May 4, 2024. He was struck and killed by a driver in South Los Angeles. (KTLA) -
The intersection next to Carver Middle School where Derrick Serrano, 12, was struck and killed on April 18, 2024. (KTLA) -
The intersection next to Carver Middle School where Derrick Serrano, 12, was struck and killed on April 18, 2024. (Google Earth) -
Claudia Gramajo mourns the death of her son, Derrick Serrano, on May 4, 2024. He was struck and killed by a driver in South Los Angeles. (KTLA)
“There’s nobody guiding them,” said Gramajo. “There’s nobody after school. There’s no one [helping them cross].”
The busy intersection where Serrano was killed is located right next to his school and parents said the street is noticeably devoid of any crosswalks, signs or safety signals to protect students.
“On the intersection here at Wadsworth and Vernon, there have been over 50 accidents in the last 10 years,” said Estuardo Mazariegos, co-director of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, a nonprofit organization that works to improve the safety of local neighborhoods.
Mazariegos works with communities that have been historically marginalized. He believes Serrano’s death proves the South Park neighborhood desperately needs more pedestrian safety infrastructure.
“There’s an elementary school right here and there’s that middle school right there,” Mazariegos said of the area near Vernon and Wadsworth Avenues. “Any other neighborhood throughout the city would have tons of pedestrian safety in place.”
In addition to heavy traffic, the area is also known for reckless drivers performing dangerous street stunts and sideshows.
“We want our streets to be connected in a safe way,” Mazariegos said. “It’s an island between here and there. Those four lanes of traffic might as well be an ocean for our kids and they risk their lives every day trying to go to school.”
“We’re asking for a crosswalk,” Gramajo said. “We’re asking for signs to slow down.”
Although nothing can bring her son back, Gramajo hopes by implementing safety measures near the school, no other parent will endure the tragedy and heartbreak she has been put through.
“This is a pain you have to live with the rest of your life,” Gramajo said tearfully. “I’m never going to see him again. I will never have him here with me. I think this pain is going to last forever.”
The driver who hit Serrano remained at the scene and is cooperating with police.
A GoFundMe page to help Serrano’s family with funeral costs can be found here.
An in-person fundraiser for the family is being held on Sunday, May 5 at 532 W. 45th Street in South L.A. beginning at 11 a.m.