A Virginia mother is left with heartbreaking questions she may never get answered — and a son she will never see grow up.
Joshua Driver, a 16-year-old autistic teenager from Henrico County, was killed in a hit-and-run on West Broad Street early Saturday morning after missing his bus home from a late-night trip to Arby’s with his brother.
Joshua had gone out Friday night to get food with his younger brother, who made it home safely. But Joshua missed the last bus and, his mother believes, decided to walk home instead.
What made it worse — his reflective vest was still in the wash.
“He had one of those vests given to him by the bus operator,” his mother Sharon Driver said. “But the day before I washed it, so it was in the washer still… and I hadn’t had a chance to dry it.”
Police say the crash happened around 3 a.m. near a construction site on West Broad Street. Joshua’s body was found in a grassy area on the shoulder of the road about three hours later. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Family members identified Joshua as a sophomore at J.R. Tucker High School. Blue and red flowers — his favorite colors — now mark the place where his life was lost.
Police identified the driver as 41-year-old John Daniel Bruehl, who was arrested and charged with hit-and-run and driving under the influence. Bruehl was also served with an outstanding failure to appear warrant from Hanover County and is being held without bond at the Henrico County jail. This is reportedly his second DUI offense in the last five to ten years.
“This man just hit him and ran away,” Sharon said. “How can he do that to my son? He has no heart.”
The pain of not knowing haunts her most. “I don’t know if he suffered or if he died instantly,” she said. “He didn’t even grow up. He didn’t become an adult.”
Sharon wants her son’s death to send a message. “I would tell people not to drink and drive. It hurts people, it kills people. It killed my son.”
A GoFundMe has been launched to help the family cover funeral and memorial expenses.
