LAKE WALES, Fla. — A light was recently installed at a school bus stop on Dr. J.A. Wiltshire Avenue and Miami Street in Lake Wales.
City leaders delivered on their promise after 13-year-old Jadin Galindo was struck and killed by a driver of a GMC Sierra on Feb. 3. Lake Wales police said Jadin sat near the center of an alleyway, waiting for his school bus when the driver hit him.
At the time, it was dark and foggy, and there were no street lights in the immediate area.
"It's too late. It won't bring my son back," Priscilla Ortega, Jadin's mother, said.
Ortega said she feels lost and empty without her oldest son. Jadin dreamt of directing movies like Michael Bay one day.
He loved Transformers and Godzilla films. Fragments of Jadin's passions in life are now decorated at and around a fire hydrant at his school bus stop, along with memories shared by his loved ones.
"I feel like I'm gonna pick up three kids, but I'm not. I'm picking up two and it's not fair at all," Ortega said.
Ortega said she feels proud after receiving an outpouring of support from the community. She didn't realize just how much Jadin touched people's hearts in his young life.
The GoFundMe aimed to support the family nearly reached double its goal at almost $20,000.
"I did my job, but I wasn't done. I wasn't done and I still had more time with my baby, but now I don't get to have it anymore. It was taken from me," Ortega said.
Jadin also had high-functioning autism, Ortega said, however, he had a routine; knowing what and what not to do at his bus stop.
The investigation is ongoing into Jadin's death, but so far, the driver of the GMC Sierra is not facing charges. The family believes the driver should face charges over Jadin's death.
In addition, the family hopes the newly-installed light forces those in charge to ensure each bus stop is safe for students.
"I just wanna hold him and hug him, and tell him that I love him," Ortega said.
Among the memories she misses most, it's hearing his laugh, watching him play Transformers and joking around with his younger siblings.
Earlier this past week, Lake Wales Mayor Jack Hilligoss added the city is in communication with the Polk County School District and Lake Wales Charter School System to map out every school bus stop in the city to conduct a lighting and safety audit.
A spokesperson for Duke Energy states the light on Jadin's bus stop was installed this past Wednesday.