'A shining star': Westfield boy remembered after being fatally struck by vehicle

Rachel Fradette and Jake Allen, Indianapolis Star
·2 min read
Tucker Swain
Tucker Swain

Tucker Swain is remembered as a gifted athlete, a good friend and a student who loved to learn.

The 9-year-old Westfield boy was struck by a vehicle about 2 p.m. Saturday in a residential area in the 600 block of Apollo Parkway in the suburb north of Indianapolis, according to the Westfield Police Department.

The boy was taken to the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital and later pronounced dead. The crash remains under investigation.

Swain was a third-grade student at Oak Trace Elementary who played basketball, football and baseball. The boy craved new challenges, sought out new books to read and loved sharks, said the school’s principal Jane Hitch in a statement.

“Tucker was a shining star at Oak Trace,” Hitch said. “He was a great big brother — often walking his sister and brothers to their classrooms in the morning.”

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Swain kept his teachers on their toes, often asking “why” questions in math class, and played the lead role in the third-grade production of Economan last month, his principal said.

“He sang his heart out that night injecting humor into lessons about economics, bringing joy to the audience,” Hitch said. “Tucker was loved and will be missed dearly by all of Westfield, especially his Oak Trace family.”

The elementary school is providing space for students, individually or in groups, to process the boy’s death and remember Swain. Administrators, counselors and former Oak Trace staff will be on-site to provide emotional support and facilitate conversation.

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Students who need support at home to deal with the grief can reach out to the school’s counselor, according to a message sent to families by Westfield Washington Schools.

A GoFundMe account and Meal Train have been set up to support the family.

Rachel Fradette is a suburban education reporter at IndyStar. Contact her at rfradette@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter at @Rachel_Fradette.

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Westfield boy, 9, dies after being struck by vehicle