WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) – It has been four weeks since a A 10-year-old boy was killed while walking home from school Wilmingtonand now there are calls for change to improve safety at the intersection where the accident occurred.
He may have only been 10, but James Messick left a lasting impact on his family and his community.
“He was very loud, and we miss that so much. It’s so quiet here right now,” said Tiffany Rodriguez, James’ mother.
Rodriguez said her son always tried to be funny and goofy. He was a great big brother, but most of all, James enjoyed being a kid.
“Every time he accomplished something, like walking to and from school by himself, it was a big thing, and he became very proud of himself for doing it,” Rodriguez said, her eyes welling with tears.
On May 6, Messick was walking home from school near Centerville and Faulkland Roads with his best friend. That’s when police say a 17-year-old driver lost control and hit the boys before eventually crashing into a house on the same street. His 12-year-old friend was treated for injuries, but Messick died at the hospital.
“It’s still as devastating now as it was then,” said Michelle Beck, who lives two houses down from where the accident occurred.
Beck said she passes a large memorial near the intersection twice a day. A tree has been planted in James’ honor, and another neighbor is adding fuel to a lantern to keep the flame burning day and night.
“I just want to make sure everything looks really good for James, and I’m talking to him,” Beck said.
New Castle County Police said the crash remains under investigation and no charges have been filed at this time.
As Rodriguez grieves, she says her neighbor’s support has been helpful.
“I am very grateful to have the support to keep his memory alive,” she said.
Neighbors are calling for change
Many people who live in the Faulkland Heights neighborhood say the intersection at Centerville and Faulkland Roads is downright dangerous and something needs to be done.
“It’s terrible that it took a poor little boy like James to be murdered to bring all this up. Something should have been done long ago,” said Barbara Beck, who has lived in the neighborhood for 57 years.
Neighbors said motorists continually drive through the intersection, and CBS News Philadelphia cameras captured a car running a red light on Friday.
Beck said her car was totaled in 2019 while it was parked in front of her home on Centerville Road.
“Three other cars have also been hit on Centerville Road in the last five years,” Beck said.
After Messick was killed, several neighbors contacted the Delaware Department of Transportation and state representatives urging safety improvements.
Hughes: “What’s your fear?”
Beck: “Something like that will ever happen again. That can’t be… that can’t be possible. It’s just devastating.”
DelDOT told CBS News Philadelphia that it recently conducted a safety assessment of the intersection and is replacing and adding signage in the area to remind motorists of the 55 mph speed limit and that children are walking in the area.
Messick’s mother said she is grateful for her neighbors’ efforts to help prevent another tragedy.
“I think that’s very important. It’s very bittersweet because I think, why did it have to come to this?” Rodriguez said.
The New Castle County Police Department said its traffic unit has been out several times since the crash to address ongoing speeding issues.
Ryan Hughes
