Volunteer middle school crossing guard is hit and killed by SUV while rescuing children from path of out-of-control vehicle reportedly driven by grandmother picking up a student
- Ashley Dias, 45, pushed a group of children out of the way of an SUV barreling towards them outside Stanley Middle School, in Lafayette, California
- Dias was filling in for a fellow crossing guard volunteer on Wednesday when he sacrificed himself to save the students
- The car struck Dias and dragged his body, pinning the biotech researcher underneath the vehicle as residents and officers hurried to free him
- Dias was rushed to a nearby hospital where he later died
- ‘He is a hero and put his life on the line to save a student,’ his mother said
A volunteer crossing guard at a California middle school was killed by an out-of-control SUV as the heroic victim pulled children crossing the street away from the vehicle’s path.
Ashley Dias, 45, a clinical research associate at a biotechnology firm, had been filling in for a fellow volunteer at the Stanley Middle School in Lafayette on Wednesday when the SUV barreled toward a group of children who were crossing the road.
Witnesses told the San Francisco Chronicle that Dias rushed to push the group of students out of the car’s reach, sacrificing himself as the SUV knocked him over and dragged his body underneath.
One of the children suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
Her son declined an interview with the news station but said, ‘we are so incredibly sorry and devastated by this unthinkably horrible accident.’
Ashley Dias, right, pictured giving flowers to his mother, Gloria. Dias volunteered as a crossing guard at Stanley Middle School where a car struck him on Wednesday
Police responded to the scene quickly after Dias sacrifices himself to save a group of students
Dias was pinned underneath the SUV, which stuck and dragged his body
Paramedics arrived quickly at the scene to free Ashley from underneath the car and try to save his life.
The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s office said in a statement that residents helped Lafayette officers pull Dias from under the vehicle.
‘Officers administered CPR until relieved by fire department personnel. He was later transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.’
Dias’ parents, Gloria and Fabio Dias, said they had just spoken their son hours before the accident.
‘I met one of the fathers in the hospital. And he said, ‘Your son saved my daughter’s life,” Gloria Dias, Ashley’s mother said.
‘He is a hero and put his life on the line to save a student.’
Dias loved to spend time with his family. He is pictured at the top-center with his brother, left, and father. Dias is in the bottom-right with his brother and mother
Dias loved to go hiking and was described by his family as a gentle and helpful man.
Dias’s parents, Fabio and Gloria Dias, are confused as to why the driver did not stop
They described their son as a gentle and helpful man who enjoyed hiking and trying out new foods.
Fabio Dias expressed his frustration at the reckless driver, saying his son’s reflective vest and large flag should have let the driver know that the children were crossing.
‘And in spite of that, the car comes and hits him and kills him. And I lost my son,’ Fabio said. ‘He was doing his job as a crossing guard.’
Dias, a San Francisco native, is survived by his parents, two siblings, and his niece. He attended Stanley Middle School before moving on to Acalanes High School in Lafayette.
The incident took place right outside Stanley Middle School, in Lafayette, California
Advertisement