LEAWOOD, Kan. — The parents of a Leawood fourth-grader are now grappling with a future without their son after he was struck by a car while riding an e-scooter and died from his injuries.
Duke Ommert was a student at Brookwood Elementary School.
His parents, Ryan and Monica Ommert, sat down with me as they learn to deal with their feelings.
"There's a lot of things I'll never get to teach him how to do — whether that's shaving, tying a tie, or how to drive," Ryan said.
It's been almost a month, and the Ommerts are still learning to deal with the "would haves."
"He would have been a great dad," Ryan Ommert said. "He would have been a great employee.”
Duke's mother, Monica Ommert, said the hardest part is trying to deal with the reality that he's gone forever.
"Not just for the next couple weeks — for the rest of our lives,” she said.
The family continues to learn about Duke's impact on others through messages his friends and classmates wrote while he was hospitalized.
One of them read, “I love that you taught me how to cast.”
"That's not something Duke came home and bragged about," Ryan said. "I didn't even know that. He always looked out for the kids who couldn't — who didn't have the strength to — look out for themselves."
The sports lessons they taught him have taken on new meaning.
"We kept telling him, you know, if something bad happens, you have to shake it off," Monica said. "You can't let it ruin the rest of the play."
Now, they are the ones “swallowing their own medicine,” as Ryan put it.
Duke was hit by a car while riding his e-scooter in mid-October. The family says he was wearing a helmet and "didn't do anything wrong."
I asked the family how they feel about the driver who hit Duke.
"The driver didn't do anything wrong,” said Monica. "He couldn't see Duke, and Duke couldn't see him."
"We hope he's able to forgive himself and live his life,” Ryan said.
They find comfort in their memories — many of them still hanging on Duke's bedroom walls.
The family is still learning how to move forward.
"We're laughing one minute, and 20 seconds later, we're crying our eyes out," Ryan said. "We don't… we don't have any of that figured out."
The parents also are asking for change. They want sidewalks and safer streets, not only for kids, but for the whole community.
KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
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