An autistic toddler was fatally struck by a car while returning from his older brother’s funeral. The tragic incident took place in Queens on August 20. On 147th Street in South Jamaica, the McDonald family was returning from 18-year-old Tysheem’s funeral – Domantea McDonald’s older brother – when the autistic boy ran away from his mother and into the street.
The New York Post reported that a Toyota RAV4 hit Domantea, 4. His mother tried to run after him, and she was also hurt.
After the collision, the toddler was still alive and awake, reportedly pleading for his mother. His father, who tragically witnessed the accident, rushed to help his son.
“They said don’t move him, so I was keeping him on the floor, trying to keep him calm. His eyes were wide open. He was trying to get up. We held him there for however long it took for the fire department to get here.”
He recalled trying to stabilize his injured son. Just as the EMS arrived, Domantea caught sight of his mother and tried to crawl towards her before appearing to pass out after five feet.
“I started bugging out. He wasn’t sleepy, but it looked like he was falling asleep. I said, ‘No, wake him up, wake him up, wake him up,’” the father said, “He wasn’t breathing. He died right there. He didn’t die in no hospital. He died right here. I watched him leave his body right here because they let him crawl.”
“There’s nothing inside me. There’s nothing. I’m empty. I just came from burying my [older] son. [Domantea] was only here for a split second to see me. He wasn’t supposed to leave the world like that,” the dad heartbreakingly said. He continued to question why the first responders allowed the severely injured boy to move instead of keeping him stabilized.
In juxtaposition, the responding officers claimed that Domantea suffered severe head trauma and internal injuries but that he was taken to the local medical center in stable condition, where he died.
The Queens family was returning from their oldest son’s funeral before the tragedy unfolded; Tysheem was reportedly shot in a gang-related incident.
“Tysheem lived in the streets. I accepted it. That was my son. I couldn’t tell him nothing. His mother couldn’t tell him, his uncles couldn’t tell him. He wanted to be his own man,” the grieving father said, describing his oldest son and his relationship to Domantea, “But he loved his little brother. He only met him a handful of times, and Domantea was very autistic, but when he would see Tysheem, he would go to him. He wouldn’t go to anybody else, but when he saw his big brother, he went to him.”
