Family of 10-year-old killed while biking by distracted driver plead for awareness

TIMNATH, Colo. (KDVR) — The family of a boy who lost his life to a distracted driver is speaking out for Oct. 17, National “Do Not Disturb While Driving” Day.

Statistics show texting and driving is six times more dangerous than drunk driving. That statistic is a constant reminder and thought in the minds of Rod and Clarissa Stratton. Their son, Oliver, or Ollie, was riding his bike home from a friend’s house on a familiar road a few blocks from his house when he was hit by a distracted driver on Aug. 2, 2023.

It’s something Clarrisa never thought would happen. She said Ollie was always safe crossing any roadway.

“That is a moment that like no PTSD medication in the whole world can ever erase from my mind. He was so horrifying and terrifying and at the same time you want to convince yourself no way this is happening to us, not my boy, like I have the safest child in the world,” Clarissa said about seeing her son at the scene shortly after the accident.

The Stratton family said Ollie was an adventurous 10-year-old who always brought joy to those around him.

“If could describe him in one word it would be happiness,” said Clarissa. “He was just such an easygoing, loving child with an old soul. He loved to play chess and pokemon and soccer and video games.”

“He had a lot of adventures in his little life, but he should have had so many more,” said Rod.

There is now a memorial road sign along River Pass Road near the crash site. His ghost bike now sits inside the Stratton home after the town would not allow for it to be placed on the roadside any longer. The driver only faced misdemeanor charges because of what officials claimed were “environmental factors” that impacted visibility.

“It’s a life sentence of loss for our family that we will carry for our entire lives,” said Clarissa. “There won’t be a day, there won’t be a moment of happiness that I am not painfully aware of who should be in the room with me and I think what’s so important about sharing this message is that our son was a little boy who loved to ride his bike and distracted driving is such a national epidemic and it’s only getting worse and it affects all of us.”

The Stratton family now fight for those cultural and judicial changes around distracted driving.

“We fight for Ollie, we fight for justice for Ollie for stronger charges, we have his ghost bike, we want that reinstated where it was as a placement to catch people’s attention and help them understand what can happen,” Rod said.

The Stratton family is encouraging supporters to help spread awareness by sharing Ollie’s story on social media using the hashtag #JusticeForOllie and by contacting local lawmakers to demand stricter penalties for distracted driving. Clarissa has also founded Ollie’s Bike Parade, a charity in memory of Ollie committed to honoring victims who have lost their lives to distracted driving.

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