DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A 19-year-old special-needs Mainland High School student was hit and killed as she walked to school Monday morning, Daytona Beach police said.
The crash was reported at about 8:04 a.m.
Stephanie Boebert was crossing International Speedway Boulevard at Nova Road when a vehicle driven by Paul Dborak, 62, turned right and hit her, officials said.
Boebert was pronounced dead at the scene.
Boebert’s family told Channel 9 that they believe she missed the bus and decided to walk to school instead.
“We will always love her. We will always miss her,” said Stephanie's brother, Michael Boebert.
“It's just a tragic accident,” Jimmie Flynt of the Daytona Beach Police Department said. “It appears that the driver of the vehicle may have violated her rights because she was in the crosswalk.“
Witnesses told police that the traffic going north and south on Nova Road had a red light at the time.
“He said he didn’t see her,” Flynt said. “The sun was kind of glaring down this morning.”
Dborak stopped to help. Police said he will not face charges, but most likely will receive a citation.
Stephanie Boebert’s mother, Susan, said her daughter was a fighter who overcame life’s struggles.
Susan Boebert said when Stephanie was a baby, she struggled to eat foods, and doctors wondered if she would survive to see age 2.
“If you told her something was impossible, she proved you wrong,” said Susan Boebert.
Stephanie's family said she had a rare genetic disorder that can cause mental and physical disabilities.
But that did not stop Stephanie from graduating. She deferred her diploma so she could take part in the school's job training program.
“That's all you can do is remember all the good things,” said Susan Boebert.
Stephanie’s friends and family said what they remember most is her generosity.
She was a part of the city's Shop with a Cop program, where police officers do holiday shopping with children to build relationships.
When Stephanie partook in the program, she did not want a gift for herself.
She had someone else in mind.
“She wanted to buy her mom a necklace, which she did. She was just a sweet little young lady,” said Flynt.
The Volusia County School District said in a statement that Boebert earned her diploma last year but deferred her graduation status so she could attend Mainland High School for another year "in order to acquire additional experiences in learning life and employability skills."
"We are deeply saddened to lose this very special Buccaneer. To say that our hearts are broken could only begin to describe the emptiness we now face each day without Stephanie," the statement said.