A father and his 1-year-old son died after they were hit by a car while crossing the street in Jacksonville, Fla. on May 16
Mitchell Patch was an elementary school math teacher, whose students “will miss him tremendously,” the principal said
Patch’s wife and family are “heartbroken,” the wife’s employer wrote on a GoFundMe page
A mom is grieving after her husband and 1-year-old son were killed while crossing the street in Jacksonville, Fla.
Mitchell Patch, an elementary school math teacher, was walking across Baymeadows Road with his son, Everett, when they were hit by a Honda Civic traveling eastbound at 8:30 p.m. local time on Friday, May 16. Emergency responders pronounced the father and child dead at the scene, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The driver of the car was taken to a local hospital and is cooperating with officials. Officer Max Morel confirmed the names of the father and son and told PEOPLE the investigation is ongoing.
“Our hearts are with the family and friends of the man and his child,” the sheriff’s office said in the statement.
Duval County Public Schools, Patch’s employer, and the City of Jacksonville Medical Examiner’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
That evening, Patch attended a party at a restaurant. He was holding his toddler in his arms when he crossed the road, Morel confirmed.
“We were in the middle of a rush when it happened. Next thing you know, we just started seeing flashing lights. It started getting bigger. So we kind of figured something more intense happened,” Dylan Williams, manager at Wicked Barley Brewing Company, told local outlet WJXT.
“We had a large group of family members mourning,” he added. “It was very tragic.”
