TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — The family of a teen who died after being hit in a crosswalk on Halloween is sharing their memories of the boy.
13-year-old Karl Finch died at Primary Children’s Hospital early Monday morning.
“There have been a lot of tears,” said Rich Brede, Karl’s uncle.
Karl was passionate about baseball, playing the piano and his schoolwork. He started learning Chinese at a young age and was already considered fluent in the language.
“Just a really well-rounded kid, and it's a testament to how his mom and dad live for their kids,” Brede said. “He is missed because he was a good example to us all.”
But there is more to Karl’s story than the activities he enjoyed. His uncle described him as a boy who put the needs of others before his own.
“He was just a good young man. He was not mean-spirited at all. He was kind and reached out,” Brede described.
On Sunday, Karl's family had asked people to pray for the boy. The loss now has left the family broken-hearted.
This tragedy is even harder to process because the boy was doing everything right the night of the accident.
He, his younger brother and two friends were walking in a crosswalk when a car in a northbound lane stopped to allow the boys to cross 2700 West at Matterhorn Drive in Taylorsville. A southbound car did not stop and hit Karl and another boy.
“They were doing the right thing and unfortunately this happened. It makes it that much harder. It really does,” Brede said.
Karl was flown immediately to Primary Children’s Hospital where he underwent surgery to remove a portion of his skull to reduce swelling on his brain. However, police confirmed that Karl died early Monday morning of his injuries.
“This is a tragic accident,” said Taylorsville Police Chief Brady Cottam. “We hope incidents like this never happen, especially on Halloween weekend when children are outside celebrating. At this time, we pray for comfort for the Finch family. All of us at the City of Taylorsville extend to them our deepest sympathy.”
The other teenager injured in the accident was hospitalized in critical condition but is expected to recover.
Karl’s loved ones are hurting. As they try to come to terms with this tragedy, they are relying on their faith and the countless memories of Karl to help find healing.
"They're all shaken up," Brede said of conversations he's had with his brother, Karl's father. "It's going to take some time to get through this."
“This kid was really, just hitting his stride,” Brede added.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Karl’s family pay for medical bills and final expenses.
