‘I had to give him to God’: Mother grieves loss of son who was hit while on ATV by speeding driver

By Gladys Bautista

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    BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — A mother is grieving the loss of her son after he died from his injuries following a hit and run over the weekend.

Vanessa Riggs said her 13-year-old son Braylen Hardy was doing what he loved when it happened.

“That was his thing,” Riggs said. “He loved to ride that 4-wheeler.”

This week, Riggs learned her funny, energetic and loving son would never fully recover from the injuries he sustained when a speeding driver ran into him while he was on his ATV on Saturday.

“Yesterday, I couldn’t let him suffer anymore,” Riggs said. “His heart stopped. I just had to give him to God.”

Riggs said Braylen was on Avenue E on the sidewalk, sitting on his ATV after finishing up riding with his dad and brothers, when shots rang out around 6:45 p.m. nearby on Avenue D.

That’s when police say a car speeding away from that scene crashed into Braylen.

The driver got out of the car and ran away, but police later caught up with him and arrested him.

Riggs got the call from Braylen’s dad.

“He was just yelling in the phone and I couldn’t understand what he was saying and he said Braylen has been hit by a car and I immediately was like we got to go, my baby’s been hit,” Riggs said.

Riggs explained how she rushed to the crash scene and then to Children’s Hospital.

“Later on that night, she let me know that it wasn’t looking good for Braylen, that the accident hurt his brain, but I still kept faith, and I prayed that my baby would pull through,” Riggs said.

But after several tests, Riggs made the difficult decision to take Braylen off of life support Tuesday.

“They were just assuring me that his brain wasn’t working,” Riggs said. “This is hard, and it’s only the beginning.”

Now, she wants accountability and justice for her son.

“Not only did you hit a kid, you have killed my child,” Riggs said. “Cut my child’s life short at 13. My child had plans. I will never see my baby again. You should never see the streets again.”

Police have not yet released the identity of the driver or what charges he could be facing.

“We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Braylen Hardy, a 7th-grade scholar at Bush Hills STEAM Academy. Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers go out to Braylen’s family, school friends, and the entire Bush Hills STEAM Academy staff at this time. We are providing counseling for students and staff, and we will continue to offer love and support.”

On Thursday the coroner confirmed that Braylen died at Children’s of Alabama Hospital on Tuesday morning. The Birmingham Police Department is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.

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