A 16-year-old Walnut Creek boy was struck and killed by a passing car on northbound I-680 in San Ramon Friday after he apparently leapt from the car he was riding in and ended up on the highway.
Investigators are looking for a white Hyundai believed to have struck Devin Hrovat after he leapt from the rear seat of a Toyota Camry reportedly driven by an adult male also from Walnut Creek, landing on the freeway. The Hyundai did not stop, according to the CHP, and its driver is being sought.
Readers contacting this site said they were on the scene shortly after the accident occurred at around 10:30 p.m. on I-680 at Alcosta Blvd.
“John M.” said he carried the youth to the shoulder of the freeway after he was struck, adding that it appeared he had been riding in another car with his mother when, for some reason, he jumped from that car onto the freeway. It was not known where the boy’s mother was sitting in the vehicle.
“Holly,” who also said she was on the scene, was told the boy was “troubled” by his grief-stricken mother. Investigators said there appeared to have been some sort of argument or discussion in the car before the boy jumped out.
Witnesses said an off-duty nurse was also on the scene Friday, giving the boy CPR until emergency services could arrive.
“The mother insisted that CPR was needed and a nurse who joined the scene started performing CPR on him to no avail,” John wrote.
The two slow lanes of northbound I-680 were closed for two hours Friday while investigators went over the scene. It was not clear if the car the youth was in was moving or at rest when he jumped out.
A chaplain was summoned in an effort to console his mother.
Raining heavily at the time
Awful. I shudder every time I see one of these headlines. Checking with friends.
Regrets to the family and our prayers to them. Terrible news.
Horrific. Condolences to their family.
Drove through earlier in the evening. It was wet but no rain at the time. So sorry.
O no.
Any update?
Is it any coincidence the number of accidents that have occurred on that stretch of 680 since cal trans construction started on pay lanes?
Any word on who it was??
Folks: Lot of interest in this story, of course, and we know you have a lot of questions. We’re in touch with officials and will update with any substantive news when we get it. Thanks for writing…
Thoughts and prayers for this family…..
I carried this young man to the shoulder.
He jumped out of his Mothers car during an argument or a discussion they were having. She had said he was having some personal issues.
Me and another gentlemen were taking his pulse immediatly after getting him over to the shoulder.
We both agreed we had nothing.
The Mother insisted that CPR was needed and a nurse who joined the scene started performing CPR on him to no avail.
The Fire Department immediately said he was dead and there is nothing we can do for him..
His body was laying directly in front of my truck.
I have videos of a lot of what transpired.
Its very difficult to watch. The boy was the same age as my daughter .
Ah, yes… that couldn’t have been easy, John, and we’re grateful to you for stopping to assist. Thanks also for writing us with a firsthand view of information we were getting secondhand last night. All best,
We were there and stopped to help. You have story wrong. 15 year old boy jumped out of his car while riding on the fwy. Mom said he was “troubled”. No accident. Boy was run over by one or two cars before we got him pulled off to side. Nurse stopped to help and found his pulse and kept him breathing until the ambulance came. I was first to call 911.
Thanks for writing… and for stopping last night. We were waiting for confirmation of information we got secondhand last night… Again, good of you to render aid and nice of you to write us. We’re sure it wasn’t pleasant to see…
How did it happen?
Sounds sadly like a teen suicide. How awful.
Terrible. May his mother and family find some peace in time.
Your basic parental nightmare. I can’t imagine what they must be going through. Hold your loved ones tight tonight.
That’s an awful thing to leave someone with.
A young man died and a mother’s heart was broken. What a tragic night.
So sad to hear the final news! My husband Adam helped John pull him to the side and I turned off their car that was still running on the side of the road while calling 911. Once the Nurse arrived my husband shewed me back to our car since our 2 kids were in there panicking. I had hoped he made it as we have prayed lots since leaving the scene. I can’t imagine what the mother is feeling right now and hope she can heal soon.
We’ll say it again, you guys were good to stop and help. CHP says a man was driving at the time. Does that mesh with your memory of events?
We didn’t see their car until it was off to side. The boy was laying sideways in the first lane and we and a few others swerved around him just in time to pull over and help. While my husband helped get him pulled off the road, I checked their car for additional passengers and none were in their car. But their car was still on so I pulled their keys out. Both doors of their car were closed when I approached the car. After I turned off their car, a tow truck pulled up in front of their car and my husband came back to get us back in our car with our kids. If CHP needs to talk to us, please give them our info. We did not see anyone run over him in front of us, but thought we saw him get rolled over by a car behind us when we were pulling over. My husband said one guy who got out to help him move the boy said, “please tell me I didn’t run over him”. The man thought he ran over something but couldn’t tell. There was some plastic debris in first lane north of boy. My husband and I tried to move some pieces off the fwy but cars were still swinging by and we felt it was too dangerous to continue. As I said before, the nurse was giving cpr and thought she had a heartbeat according to my husband when he walked away.
This is so sad and tragic. Prayers…
I am the nurse that was at the scene. Just to clarify: What I got from the mother was that he had autism spectrum disorder and jumped out of the car. I don’t know where the boy or the mom were sitting in the vehicle, nor do I recall if there was something that upset the boy to make him leap. His body was lying horizontally across the slow lane with his head in the second lane when I almost hit him. Once I realized it was a human in the road I pulled over and ran to the scene. It was very difficult to find a pulse and what faint one I found was gone shortly after. Although we initiated CPR I was reluctant because my assumption was that he had massive internal trauma and CPR might do more harm then good. Sadly, once a couple rounds of CPR were given I knew he was gone because the sounds coming from his throat and chest indicated internal trauma and profuse bleeding. He did not make it. Send prayers and love to his mother and family.
Very good of you and the others to do what you did out there that night, Mary. We know it couldn’t have been easy.
Wow, what brave souls to assist, in all that traffic, in the dark. God bless you all. And God bless the mother whose trials during the past 16 years have surely been more than most of us experience during our lives. Our granddaughter works with autistic children and has endless praise for parents who, against so many odds, faithfully carry on with very little in their lives that is predictable from day to day.
My prayers and thanks to you all.
Love and prayers to you his family on this heartbreaking loss.