Jordan Eastgate was run over and killed, aged 12, after running out from behind a school bus in 2009. Photo / Supplied
Jordan Eastgate was run over and killed, aged 12, after running out from behind a school bus in 2009. Photo / Supplied
A woman has made a heartfelt video for Mother's Day in memory of her son, who was killed in front of his family by a car after he got off a school bus.
Jordan Eastgate was 12 when he was hit by the car, which was travelling in the oppositedirection faster than the 20km/h limit for going past school buses.
In the 50-second Facebook video, Mandie Roband shares a message close to her heart as precious photos of her son are shown, ending with one as the sun goes down over a beach.
A message from Mandie.... well a message from all of us I guess, Safe travels everyone.....
At the time of the tragedy, Ms Roband was standing on the footpath with her two younger children after greeting them off the bus. She saw the car approach and chased after Jordan while calling out, but the Matamata Intermediate student was oblivious as he went around the back of the bus and ran across the road to his house.
Next Sunday exactly a week after Mother's Day - will be the seventh anniversary of his death.
"I guess it [Mother's Day] is a bitter sweet day. His birthday, his anniversary, Mother's Day, my birthday - they all sting a little bit more than every other day, but I still treasure the time and have been privileged to have him in my life and I have with my two remaining children and my partner. We've all become stronger and closer, but we always were close.
"Everyday is a battle and grief has been a brutal thing for us all."
Ms Roband said the family still had flashbacks of the accident. "It will never ever go away. It will haunt us forever."
The family have set up a Facebook page called the "20km/h Team. School Bus Safety" to raise awareness of the 20km/h limit when vehicles are travelling past buses and to campaign for better safety measures, including LED speed-limit signs and flashing lights to be installed on buses.
The driver was never charged, due to speculation over whether the bus was actually stopped at the time of the accident.
