PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Bonnie Farago remembers her nephew, Myles Farago, as a smart, witty kid who loved animals, excelled in art and music and enjoyed getting outdoors to hike and camp.

What You Need To Know

  • Myles Farago, 15, died after being hit by a car while bicycling to school early Thursday

  • His aunt, Bonnie Farago, describes him as a smart kid who loved animals, the arts, and outdoors

  • A memorial honoring Myles has been set up along Kitten Trail, near the scene of the crash

  • Pasco County says safety improvements are planned for the area

"Myles was supposed to be at Christmas with us. I had already bought him Christmas presents, and he was supposed to be one of the groomsmen in my wedding in March. So, that will not happen now," Farago said.

According to Florida Highway Patrol, Myles, 15, was hit by a car while riding his bike to school along Kitten Trail in Hudson just after 6:30 a.m. Thursday. FHP said the driver didn't see him due to dark conditions.

"His bike that he normally rides, it does have lights on it," Farago said. "But because he had a flat tire, he had to take a friend's bike to school at that particular moment, so he didn't have a light on his bike."

That area of Kitten Trail has no lighting and no sidewalks. Farago said her brother, Myles' father, mentioned his concerns about road safety in the area many times.

"He actually did go with Myles a few times to find the safest way to get to school. He wasn't even going the quickest way," she said.

On Friday, students and community members stopped by a memorial cross set up on Kitten Trail in his honor. Among them was Brittany Nichols. She lives near the crash scene and said she called 911. She told Spectrum Bay News 9 that she and another person attempted to perform CPR on Myles.

"My heart really does go out to his family, and I hope his family can find some peace," Nichols said. 

Hudson High School student Maria Gomez said she and others with the school's Dungeons and Dragons Club came to the memorial because a fellow member was best friends with Myles.

“It felt a lot more painful, and really the more you started to hear what was going on, you learned different details throughout the day about what had happened to the kid, and all you could feel was guilt the entire time," Maria said.

Maria's mother, Lazara Gomez, said she spent the morning calling school and county officials, asking for lights, signs indicating a school is nearby, and sidewalks to be installed in the area.

"They're having to share this road at six-something in the morning," Gomez said. "The sun hasn't even risen yet, and these kids are having to trek through here."

Pasco County said in a statement that it secured grant funding to build a sidewalk on the south side of Kitten Trail that will go from Hicks Road to Giddyup Lane. A school speed zone will also be in place on Kitten Trail from Hicks Road. to a quarter mile east of Cobra Way. The county also said it's including the area in its annual review of roads that need street lights. Farago said that the news is a relief.

"I don't want any other parents, any other family, to have to go through exactly what we are going through right now. It should never happen again," Farago said.

Farago said she wants people to remember Myles' story when they find themselves driving on dark roads. She urges drivers to slow down and be vigilant - especially before school.