Grief, concerns not borne alone

Boy's death sparks outpouring of emotion, calls for traffic safety

A flower-covered cross and two stuffed animals sat Tuesday at the corner of Harper Street and East 25th Terrace – a memorial to the 6-year-old boy who was struck and killed there Monday while riding his scooter to school.

As friends and family members mourned the loss of Bryce Olsen, neighbors’ concerns persisted about the busy traffic on 25th Terrace.

“This is basically a main drag now,” said Marco Ramirez, 24, who lives on the corner where the wreck happened. “I see people just tearing up and down this street. They need a roundabout or a stop sign or something.”

The driver of the minivan that struck Bryce, Peter Matthias Kwesi Afful, 45, said Tuesday that he had been on his way to his cousin’s home when the wreck happened. Afful lives on the north side of 23rd Street, just a few blocks from the scene of the wreck.

Police said Afful stopped at the stop sign on southbound Harper Street about 11:40 a.m., turned right onto East 25th Terrace and struck Bryce without ever seeing him.

Afful – who has a 6-year-old son of his own – said he wasn’t yet ready to discuss details of the wreck.

“I’m still in shock,” he said.

In a statement released Tuesday, Bryce’s family urged drivers to watch for children and not use residential areas as shortcuts.

Lawrence Police spokeswoman Kim Murphree said officers were still compiling their report from the wreck, a process that includes interviewing witnesses and reconstructing the accident using computer equipment. Until the report is done – something she said could take several more days – police won’t give further details about its contents.

As of Tuesday, Afful had not been cited.

“Until the report is complete, nothing is ruled out,” Murphree said.

‘Parking Lot Baby’

Bryce’s family described him as a kind-hearted, energetic and imaginative child who prayed for his classmates in a primary class at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Bryce’s entry into the world, like his exit, was unusual. He was born in the front seat of his parents’ car in an emergency room parking lot in Cedar City, Utah.

He became known in his family as “The Parking Lot Baby.”

“He couldn’t wait to come into this world,” his mother, Kimberly, said.

He recently had learned to count to 100 and to spell, and he liked spending time on the family’s computer. He also was creative, the family said: He once cut up some glow-in-the-dark necklaces, twirled around the bedroom to make them look like stars and said to his family, “I created the universe!”

His father, Bret, said that for a young person, “He was very confident in his actions and very self-sufficient.”

Tragedy sinks in

At Prairie Park School, where Bryce was an afternoon kindergarten student, families were struggling with what to tell their children about the death.

“I think everybody is pretty saddened,” said Audra Jackson, parent of a Prairie Park kindergartner. “I think maybe at their age it’s still a little harder for them to understand really what’s going on. You’re just trying to listen to what they’re telling you and how they’re feeling, and go with it from there.”

A school district crisis team remained at the school Tuesday, offering counseling for anyone who needed it. Prairie Park teacher Colleen Breitenbach said she expected the school to focus more on safety and teaching children the importance of wearing helmets.

“It’s just such a tragedy,” Breitenbach said. “It did not have to happen. That’s really how we feel.”

A memorial fund in Bryce’s honor has been set up at Douglas County Bank. Donations can be made at any branch, or can be mailed to Bryce Olsen Memorial, c/o Douglas County Bank, P.O. Box 429, Lawrence 66044.

A funeral will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3655 W. 10th St.

The family said Bryce’s corneas had been donated to two children, as were both of his heart valves.