CLEARWATER, Fla. — A family is remembering their 15-year-old son Thursday night…while also pushing for change.
Ethan Weiser was trying to cross the street to get to his bus stop, when he was hit and killed by a passing car.
His uncle spoke with city leaders Thursday evening about adding safety measures to the roadway, just minutes before a candlelight vigil began to celebrate Ethan’s life.
At that vigil, the community came together to smile and remember Ethan, a teen whose family says loved the Lord, anime and hogging the TV remote.
“It was always a battle on Sunday after dinner, you had to get the remote before Ethan so we could make sure we could get some football games on,” his uncle, Matt Croasmun, said.
From gaming with Ethan, to having an ice cream cone with him every Monday afterschool, it seemed like everyone at the vigil remembered the teen with a smile.
"Every time he’d open the door, he’d just go 'Howdy!'" Ethan’s choir director said. “Every single time!”
At the vigil Thursday evening, family, friends, and strangers touched by his story came out to support Ethan’s loved ones as they celebrated his life with confidence they would see him again.
“When he took that step on the road, I just knew he was in heaven already,” Ethan’s grandfather, Chuck, said. “His spirit was already in heaven…Those who believe, we know he’s in a better place.”
When the time to see Ethan again comes around, Grandpa Chuck says he already knows what he’ll say.
"'Got that ice cream cone for you,'" Chuck said, "I used to pick him up at school every Monday. He likes to go to McDonald’s to get an ice cream cone. So I’d give him an ice cream cone.”
Family members say this isn’t just about Ethan, it’s also about his impact. They’re continuing to push for more safety along Belleair road, and Ethan’s uncle is slated to speak before county commissioners at a meeting next Thursday.
He says Belleair is a county operated roadway, but we’ve also reached out to the school district for comment about potential changes.
The Pinellas County School District said the bus stop meets district and state guidelines. Ethan’s uncle says, that means it may be time to change the guidelines to make these types of areas safer.