4-year-old killed in West Vancouver bus crash identified
The young boy's mother remains in intensive care, says family friend
It was a clear, sunny day last Wednesday when Silvana de Oliveira Schramm and her four-year-old son Leonardo took a day trip to Bowen Island, off the Metro Vancouver coast.
She texted her husband Clineu Machado photos of their adventure, including one of them on the ferry's sundeck, with Leonardo all smiles, the wind in his hair.
It would be the last photo of her and her son that she would send her husband.
That afternoon, back on the mainland and waiting at a bus stop at the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal in West Vancouver, the mother and son were hit by a bus when witnesses say it hopped the curb.
De Oliveira Schramm suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized in critical condition. Police say another woman was hit and hospitalized in stable condition. Leonardo was killed.
Now, friends of the family have set up an online fundraiser to support the couple in the tragedy's aftermath.
"My heart is broken for him [Machado], and for everybody in this tragedy," said AJ Caridi, a friend and colleague of the four-year-old's father, who describes the dad as "the kindest, most giving soul on the planet."
Caridi runs a pizza restaurant in East Vancouver, where Machado has worked for more than four years — since around the time Leonardo was born.
The young boy is described in the online fundraiser as the couple's "one-per-cent miracle baby."
Caridi said Machado was ecstatic about having his son.
"He was a great dad. Worked two to three jobs to support his family," Caridi said.
"I would be angry. [Machado]'s not angry. And look at that little boy's face, it's glowing, it's beautiful. And that's a testament to his parents."
Machado and de Oliveira Schramm moved to Vancouver from Brazil.
Since then, Machado has worked multiple jobs to allow de Oliveira Schramm to spend more time with Leonardo, according to Theresa Morrison, who co-owns the pizza restaurant.
Morrison told CBC News that de Oliveira Schramm remains in intensive care.
Though Machado asked not to be interviewed, Morrison said the father wanted to relay that "there isn't a blame game right now."
"He's a man of very deep faith," Morrison said.
"The way he put it was, sometimes the tragedy wins, and sometimes you're able to succeed by taking lessons from the tragedy and learning from that."
The crash happened around 3:30 p.m. PT last Wednesday, May 28, when West Vancouver police say they received reports of pedestrians being "pinned under a bus."
At that time, police said two women were hospitalized and a boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sgt. Chris Bigland with the West Vancouver Police Department said a criminal offence has not been ruled out, although speed is not considered a factor in the incident.
Police also said they interviewed the driver of the bus, who is a TransLink employee.
The bus was seized for a mechanical inspection.
TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn said the transit authority was heartbroken by the "tragic" event, and that they're supporting police with the investigation.
Meanwhile, Morrison and Caridi said the fundraiser will go toward supporting the family — with funeral costs, relatives flying in from Brazil to say their goodbyes, and de Oliveira Schramm's recovery.
"I think they need what everybody in this community has been giving, which is love and care," said Caridi.
"Love and care and privacy, you know. We all grieve in our different ways."
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With files from Leanne Yu, Lauren Vanderdeen and Amelia John