HOUSTON – Family and friends are mourning the loss of Milby High School athlete, Sergio Rodriguez, who was killed Monday in a train accident.
The incident happened at 2000 Broadway St. near Galveston Road a little after 7:30 a.m. when officials say the 15-year-old sophomore was walking to school and attempted to cross in front of the moving Union Pacific train.
Police said the train was in motion, traveling at a slow speed, when he was hit and killed.
Sergio leaves behind four siblings and two parents, according to a GoFundMe account.
He is described as being “kind, smart, funny, full of life, and a student dedicated to football.”
KPRC 2′s Bill Barajas spoke with two of his friends on the football team who say they’re hurting.
A lot of students stopped by the scene where Sergio died, creating a makeshift memorial.
“And every time I come to school, I might come over here, just sit right here to talk to you. Just chalk it up like I used to with you. Just after I go to school, I say, ‘love you, go to school,’” said Xavier Marin, a friend of Sergio’s and teammate.
“The students on every football team, like the whole of our team, were hurt, and I was hurt, but we couldn’t do anything about it,” said Joe Marin, another friend of Sergio’s and teammate. “We still have his cleats in the locker. And we’re thinking on the 14th about getting his cleats, signing them, maybe for a player signing, and giving them to his mom.”
Xavier shared a moment he had with his friend’s grieving mother: “When I gave her a hug, I felt her pain. I felt how she feels right now. And I still feel how she feels. So, like, I hold her, and everything feels so different now. Because I never imagined me hugging a parent because they lost their loved one.”
Xavier and Joe said they miss Sergio’s laugh the most and the way he treated others. They said they plan to keep his memory alive and have planned a balloon release in the coming days.