NAPLES, Fla. — A memorial for Clayton Miller is growing at the corner of Madison Drive and Lakeland Avenue in Naples.
That intersection is where the 14-year-old was hit by an SUV while riding his E-bike on Saturday afternoon, and died.
Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk spoke to the 14-year-old's step-father about the loss of Clayton Miller:
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Miller was heading east on Madison Drive, approaching a stop sign when he entered the intersection. He was hit by an SUV going north. Troopers say Miller died from his injuries at a nearby hospital.
Fox 4 spoke with Miller’s stepfather, Matthew Cipollone, who said Miller's father passed away several years ago, and the two had grown close. Cipollone said Miller will be remembered as a kind, athletic young man with a bright future ahead of him.
“[He was] an awesome human being,” said Cipollone. “Was such a smart, funny, intellectual handsome boy. Would do anything for anybody, friends, family, you name it he would take the shirt off his back for you.”
Cipollone said Miller’s young athletic career was full of accomplishments, and he was an excellent student in the classroom.
“He was just heavily involved, he was in honors classes, straight As,” said Cipollone. “Never asked for any help, did all his stuff by himself while handling all athletics on top of that, and made it look easy. So, it's just a shame that his life was cut this short because there was so much promise.”
Cipollone said in his free time, Miller liked to ride his E-bike with his friends, and the one he was riding during the crash was only a few days old.
“We had just got him this new E-bike and he was super excited,” said Cipollone. “He’s familiar with using E-bikes. This one was a little bit of an upgrade. I’m sure he was really excited to be riding it and just being a kid, and had a split second lapse in judgment and really that’s all it takes in a circumstance like this.”
The crash is still under investigation, but Cipollone said drivers should slow down, and be more cautious for children.
“There's a lot of kids out here and people need to be more aware because they’re children, and the people driving these vehicles are grown ups and should be aware of what they’re doing,” said Cipollone.
Following the crash, an online fundraiser was started to help cover funeral expenses for Miller. It has collected more than $40,000 in 24 hours.
"To everybody that has donated, or thought of us, or prayed for us, we love you and we appreciate everything and thank you so much,” said Cipollone. “This is going to go a long way in making sure Clayton gets put to rest how he wanted to, and hopefully live an eternal life with his dad. That’s the only positive we can come up with in this super tragic situation.”
