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Parents say 10-year-old killed in ATV crash loved building quads, sharing with his friends

The 10-year-old's family is holding fundraisers to help cover costs for their son's burial.

PHOENIX — The 10-year-old boy killed after his quad crashed into a parked car was giving his friend a ride home.

The deadly collision happened Saturday afternoon near 16th Avenue and Broadway Road in south Phoenix.

Police say a 9-year-old boy riding as a passenger was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Ten-year-old Thomas Martinez didn’t make it. His parents said his friend had just come over.

“One of his friends showed up and said, ‘Thomas!' And Thomas was like, 'Yeah!' And he says, ‘Come to my house and let's go eat some Takis. So my son left, and next thing you know, 30 seconds later they’re telling me, 'Dial 911. Your son was in an accident,'” said Thomas Martinez Sr., the 10-year-old’s father. 

He said they had just come home from an off-roading trip at Tonto National Forest.

“I just don’t understand why it happened,” the boy's father said.

Since the tragic accident, neighbors in the area have come together in support of the fourth-grade student. His parents say he loved ATVs, especially building them with his dad. 

“You know. We started off with a little quad and then something bigger, something stronger, and as time went on, he started learning how to help me work on it,” said boy's dad. “Kids come over [and say] ‘Tommy, is that your bike? And my son would be like, 'Yeah, that one is when I was small. Me and my daddy are building that one right there, cuz I’m bigger now,'” said Martinez.

“Straight-forward kid. Honest. Teachers come around, they tell me they never met a boy like that,” he added.  

The Martinez Family is holding a fry bread sale to help raise money that will cover the costs of burying their son. It will take place Saturday, April 27 starting at 10:30 a.m. at 1541 West Wier Avenue in Phoenix.

A GoFundMe page has also been set up. You can donate here.

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