A heroic father was killed by a driver just moments after he helped a family of ducks cross a busy highway as his children watched from the car. The man, who has been named as Casey Rivara, was driving with his family along a California highway when he noticed that family of ducks struggling to get across the road. The incident, which took place on Friday (May 19) saw Rivara ushering the birds across the intersection at Park Drive and Stanford Ranch Boulevard in Rocklin, as reported by the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12111433/California-father-dies-mowed-car-helping-family-ducks.html?ito=social-facebook&fbclid=IwAR0mv__cGE3ac6ac3NyeB2qkOrWnWA38ao7ylVl4-IbKviG5SFnwogtEyos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail</a>. As his family watched from their car, another family was also watching this act of heroism and 12-year-old William Wimsatt filmed Rivara helping the ducks get across safely. [[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFLMxj1-Bqk]] Speaking to <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/rocklin-crash-pedestrian-dies-stanford-ranch/43936547" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3KCRA</a>, William said: "He got out of the car, he was shooing the ducks everyone was clapping because he was being really nice. He helped them get up on the curb because the baby duckies were having trouble." After the ducks had safely made it to the other side of the road, the man was thanked by pedestrians for his kindness. Sadly, the father was then struck by a 17-year-old driver before he could get back to his car, as his family and those who had filmed the ducks watched on in horror. William continued: "All I remember is the sound and then him flying across the intersection. His shoes and one of his socks were right in front of our car. "He was the only person to get out of the car and try and help them and probably the nicest person in the entire area. It’s not fair," William concluded. The unnamed 17-year-old remained at the scene and helped the police with their investigation. [[facebookwidget||https://www.facebook.com/RocklinPolice/videos/2024635031222921/]] Following the incident, William's mother consoled Rivara's children, who had watched everything unfold from their nearby vehicle. Summer Peterson, who also watched the crash with her children, has since created a memorial at the site where residents have left flowers and rubber ducks as a nod to his last act of kindness. Speaking to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/rocklin-deadly-crash-stanford-ranch-road-park-drive-man-killed-duck-crossing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS 13</a>, Summer said: "They [her children] were saying, 'Oh, it's so cute. It's so nice of him.' And then all of a sudden he was hit by a car. "My son wanted to bring rubber duckies and flowers to this gentleman who lost his life, he was a father." <img class="wp-image-1263212866 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/05/Screenshot-2023-05-23-at-10.34.15.jpg" alt="" width="2314" height="1192" />[[imagecaption|| A fundraiser was set up in his memory. Credit: GoFundMe]] Following the tragedy, Rocklin Police Department released the following statement: "The driver remained at the scene of the collision. "Emergency first responders arrived to assist, however, the man died at the scene. The Major Accident Investigation Team was activated and responded to the area. No arrest was made, and the incident is still under investigation. We would like to extend our condolences to all involved in this tragic event." The police have urged anyone with information to come forward to help with the investigation. Rivara's family also set up a <a href="http://gofundme.com/f/caseys-final-act-of-kindness">GoFundMe</a> to cover his funeral expenses, which has raised over $58,000 of its $30,000 target so far. Our thoughts are with the Rivara's loved ones and all those who witnessed this terrible tragedy. <h6>Featured image credit: Magda Ehlers / Pexels</h6>

Heroic dad killed in front of his children just moments after helping ducks cross a road

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