POLK COUNTY, FL (WFTS) — The parents of a man killed in Monday’s deadly school bus crash in Winter Haven are remembering their son as a hardworking, loving son who always looked out for his family.
Deshawn Smith, 26, had recently moved to Haines City from Philadelphia with his family in April. He worked at a warehouse in Winter Haven and was on his way to work Monday morning when his Jeep was struck in a chain-reaction crash involving a school bus.
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For his mother, Tina Griffin, the loss is still difficult to comprehend.
“They took my baby from me and I want him back. I want him back,” Griffin said.
Griffin said her son always checked on her and made sure she was OK.
“He was everything to me. He stayed with me, he looked out for me, he always asked me are you OK? Always checked in on me,” she said.
Smith’s stepfather, Kadafi Ala, said Deshawn was a hard worker who was always trying to improve his life and make his mother proud. At home, Ala said Smith was inseparable from the family dog.
“His buddy was our dog. He would sleep in his bed, sleep in his room,” Ala said. “Right now he’s just waiting for him to come back.”
Smith and Winter Haven high school student were killed in the crash.
“My son's life is being overlooked by a lot of people and I’m going to say by the schools, police department, I could go on and on," Griffin said. "The more I look on Facebook it's like they're giving emphasis on the other person‘s death. My son's life mattered as well as the other person,” Griffin said.
The family is also questioning why they were not notified about Smith’s death until hours after the crash. Griffin said she initially believed her son had made it to work.
“He was already gone by like 6:15 that morning and I didn’t get notified until 4 o’clock that evening,” she said.
The family is also seeking answers about what led to the crash.
"The woman that initiated the contact with the bus, apparently the claim or allegation from one of her parents stating that she has some type of drowsiness behind the wheel. If that is the case, then who approved this person to be driving on the road," Ala said.
Investigators have not publicly confirmed that driver fatigue was a factor in the crash.
The family has started a GoFundMe to help pay for Smith’s funeral.
“For those that can empathize with our pain and our suffering and what it is that we’re going through, we truly appreciate that,” Ala said.
A memorial service is scheduled for October 24 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Claude E. Holmes Senior Memorial Chapel in Haines City. The service is open to the public.
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