A 12-year-old North Carolina boy died after being hit by a truck while illegally riding a dirt bike to the gas station.
Mikey Malanda was riding to refuel just minutes from his Charlotte home around 1pm on Sunday when he was struck by a red truck at the intersection of Oakdale and Auten Roads, police said.
Mikey was pronounced dead at the scene.
His family said the young boy road his dirt bike to the gas station every Sunday before he would peruse the city of 911,000 with his friends.
‘He just went out to get a little bit of gas so he could be able to go do something that he loved,’ his aunt, Laure Makiona, told The Charlotte Observer.
‘Never did we think we wouldn’t get to see him anymore.’
It is unclear what caused the fatal collision and no charges have been pressed against the unidentified truck driver as of Thursday morning.
Dirt bikes are not street legal in North Carolina, as the vehicles don’t have headlights, turn signals, mirrors, and more.
Mikey Malanda was riding to refuel just minutes from his Charlotte home around 1pm on Sunday when he was struck by a red truck at the intersection of Oakdale and Auten Roads
The crash is still under investigation and it is unclear if anyone will face criminal charges.
The Malanda family has let the Lake Norman Charter School student ride his dirt bike to the gas station weekly and had always advised him to be careful near the Oakdale and Auten Roads intersection.
Mikey had been headed to the gas station his father had taken him to before he even knew how to ride, the Mike Malanda told the outlet.
His father said his son ‘dreamed of a motorcycle’ since he was just a toddler and ‘loved riding his bicycle and doing tricks.’
The preteen was also active in the local biking community and often participated in group rides.
Richard Flood, who organizes The Last Sunday monthly ride, often recalled Mikey showing up with his big smile and laughter.
‘No matter how hard it may seem or how hard he was struggling, Mikey always kept pushing,’ Flood told The Observer. ‘Mikey was a very strong soul.’
The preteen often made sure those in the back didn’t get left behind and took care of the people around him, he told the outlet.
It is unclear what caused the fatal collision and no charges have been pressed against the unidentified truck driver as of Thursday morning. Dirt bikes are not street legal in North Carolina
His family and friends remember the 12-year-old as a loving and caring person.
‘Mikey always made everybody laugh,’ his aunt, Lucie Bunsana, told The Observer.
Neighborhood kids also called him Mikey the Motivational Speaker as he was known for giving good advice.
He even recently asked his mother to let him mentor younger kids in a church program.
‘I did not know how many people’s lives he touched until this day,’ she told the outlet. ‘I can say that I am a proud mother.’
His kindergarten teacher, Emily Kessler, told The Observer she doesn’t have a single picture of the boy where he isn’t hugging someone.
His fourth grade teacher, Carly Pasell, told the outlet: ‘He could draw you out and hold a deep conversation with you even at nine years old.’
His classmates called him Big Mike affectionately and the young student often took home the class hamster Tater Tot on holidays and weekends.
‘He just went out to get a little bit of gas so he could be able to go do something that he loved,’ his aunt, Laure Makiona, said. ‘Never did we think we wouldn’t get to see him anymore’
Principal Nick Carlascio told the outlet that the young scholar often went out of his way to help other students and look out for them.
His school paid tribute to him, writing on Facebook: ‘Affectionately known as “Big Mike” he will be remembered by his classmates, friends and teachers for his larger than life personality, playful nature and kind soul.
‘The LNC community joins Mike’s family in grieving this profound loss.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to the family for comment.
