CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A family is in mourning following the death of five-year-old Bryan Hughes Jr.
The Blackwell Elementary School student died Thursday, two days after the car he was riding in was involved in a crash in Chesterfield County.
"He was ball of energy, a comedian, he was wonderful," relative Theresa Brown said about the child who she said she had known since the moment he was born.
Hughes was riding with his mother at the time of the crash, Brown said.
The Mazda they were traveling in was part of a three-vehicle crash at East Hundred Road (Route 10) and Meadowville Road Tuesday afternoon, according to Chesterfield Police.
"It was reported that a Mazda Protégé was traveling east on East Hundred Road when it began to turn left at a crossover, but then re-entered the eastbound travel lane,” a Chesterfield Police spokesperson said about the crash. "A white Infiniti SUV, which was traveling behind the Mazda, struck the Mazda and pushed it into the crossover.”
Both vehicles then traveled into the westbound lanes where the Mazda struck the rear bumper of a third vehicle.
While police continue to investigate the crash, Hughes' family wanted to thank two people at the crash scene.
A man who pulled Bryan Hughes Jr. from the wreckage and later kept in touch with the family at the hospital, and a nurse who worked to restore the child's breathing following the crash.
"The family appreciates what they did," Brown said. "Their actions gave us a little more time" with the child they called Doodles or Doodle Bug.
Bryan Hughes Jr.
She also wanted to thank Richmond Public Schools and the teachers at Blackwell Elementary for their support following the crash.
A GoFundMe has been established to help the family pay for the child's funeral.
"We appreciate any type of donation that go toward him being buried properly," she said.
This is a developing story. Witnesses can send news tips, photos, and video here.
