Casey Rivera is honored in Rocklin, California
A California man who died after being hit by a car was seen helping a family of ducks cross the road moments before crashing, local police said.
City police said Casey Rivera, 41, left his car before hitting a teen in Rocklin, about 40 miles northeast of Sacramento.
Witnesses said Rivera made sure the ducks were safe before the collision.
No arrests have been made.
“The man allegedly tried to help some ducklings who were at the intersection,” Rocklin police said in a statement.
“While the man was at the intersection, the teen driver was driving east on Stanford Ranch Boulevard. This young driver hit a pedestrian who was in the road.”
One of the witnesses, Summer Peterson, told a local CBS News affiliate that her children witnessed the collision, which occurred Thursday night around 8:15 p.m. local time.
They were like, “Oh, that’s so cute. That’s so cute of him.” Then all of a sudden he got hit by a car.
People left flowers and rubber ducks at the crash site.
One mom at the online fundraiser said Rivera was driving her kids home from swimming practice when they noticed “a duck and a baby struggling to cross a busy intersection.”
“Casey was the kindest and most amazing husband and father,” the fundraiser read. Even his last act in this world was a sign of his sympathy.
His widow, Angel Zhao, said in a statement: “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of you for the kind messages and kind gestures.
“It really humbles us to hear how Casey has had such a positive impact on your life, and we are so grateful.”
The Rocklin Police Department said no arrests were made and “the incident is still under investigation.”
The teen driver is unlikely to face criminal charges, Rocklin Police Chief Scott Horillo told NBC News.
