TROY — Grief counselors have been made available for students and staff at Troy City Schools Monday following the death of a student Monday night.
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Gavin Palkovic, 17, was identified by Troy police Tuesday afternoon as the teen who died.
“We are incredibly saddened to learn about the passing of one of our students. We had a team of counselors ready to help students and staff as they arrived at school today, and they will remain there throughout the day. We also have a team from the Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health here helping us. We know this is not a one-day event, and our counselors will continue to be available to students and staff in the future. Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family and friends, Troy City Schools Superintendent Chris Piper said.
News Center 7′s John Bedell spoke with Shawn McKinney, Chief of Police, Troy Police Department, Tuesday, about the tragic accident that took the life of the 17-year-old.
Around 7:30 p.m. Monday, Troy police and medics responded to the 400 block of North Elm Street near Treasure Island Park; they discovered a truck versus bicycle accident and found Palkovic trapped under it.
Troy police are working on learning the full story of what led to the accident. They have pulled security video footage from Treasure Island Park to piece together the events.
Police have learned that three juveniles, one driver, and two bicyclists were in the park, where both bicyclists were initially holding onto the truck. One of the bicyclists let go, and the other held on as the truck moved.
“As the pickup truck pulled forward and curved around a turn, he (the bicyclist) let go and was propelled forward as the pickup truck slowed down and he was propelled in front of the truck where he was, unfortunately he was hit by the truck,” Chief McKinney said.
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Medics on the scene called for CareFlight but were called off due to a delay, and took Palkovic to a local hospital, where the he was later pronounced dead.
“Unfortunately, this resulted in a very tragic accident that is caused by decisions. There’s a reason these laws are in place, that your not allowed to attach a bicycle or a sled to a vehicle, your not allowed to ride on the outside of a vehicle. If both of these people, the driver and the bicyclists, have gone through driver’s ed, I’m sure they’ve heard that message that this is something that’s dangerous. We don’t enforce these laws just to be mean. We enforce them because there’s a real risk in participating in this behavior,” Chief McKinney said.
The accident remains an open investigation as police work to learn the complete story and will later present the case to the juvenile prosecutor if formal charges will be filled.
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