GoFundMe set up for family of 4-year-old killed in Horseshoe Bay bus crash
Posted June 1, 2025 2:10 pm.
Last Updated June 2, 2025 8:41 pm.
Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised for the family of a four-year-old boy who was killed last Wednesday in a bus crash near the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal in West Vancouver.
The collision happened right outside the BC Ferries terminal, located at the corner of Keith Road and Bay Street, around 3:30 p.m. At least three people were hit by a bus when it appeared to have jumped a curb. The boy died at the scene. His mother and a family friend were taken to hospital in critical and stable condition, respectively.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!AJ Caridi and his wife are behind a GoFundMe that was launched over the weekend. Caridi tells 1130 NewsRadio that the boy’s father, Clineu, has worked for them for more than four years, along with two other jobs to support his family.
“He’s a lovely man,” said Caridi while holding back tears. “Leonardo was a lovely boy. I kind of felt like I knew them through [Clineu] because he was always talking about his son and loves his wife. Thankfully, he’s a man of huge faith and very spiritual, so he’s managing as best he can.”
Caridi says Clineu spent the weekend at their house trying to come to terms with his new reality.
“His family is everything to him. He’s a very strong man, and like I said, his faith is undeniable and unbelievable, and the first thing he said was, ‘Please try and make sure the bus driver is OK,’ if that can let you know who he is.”
Caridi says the money raised will help the family decide whether to bury Leonardo here and fly family from their native Brazil to the Lower Mainland, or to travel to South America for the service.
“Obviously, they want to try and get some family from Brazil here to see his wife, who is still in critical condition. There are a lot of moving parts and a lot of things to figure out.”
Caridi says because the boy’s mother, Silvana, remains in the ICU, and there’s a chance she still doesn’t know her son is dead.
“There’s a lot of trauma there, and she’s fighting. I don’t believe she knows — that’s the other hard part about all of this,” Caridi explained as his voice broke. He adds that Silvana has been “pretty much” sedated since the crash on May 28.
In the meantime, Caridi admits Clineu may never be the same.
“I think as the days go by, more and more of the shock wears off, you know, he loves his son. … He’s shattered, I think, like all of us.”
West Vancouver wrestles with tragedy
West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager says the community is struggling to come to terms with what took place.
“All of us feel the pain and the suffering that this family is going through,” he told 1130 NewsRadio.
On the day of the crash, an event — the Taste of the Bay — was set to take place, but was cancelled. Sager says it will be rescheduled.
“All of the proceeds from the day will go to the family. We’re looking at some dates now. It could be in a few weeks, it could also be moved to Canada Day,” he explained.
Sager says he’ll be meeting with the district council on Wednesday to discuss how to memorialize the little boy and help the community move on will be addressed.
“I have family who live in the bay, [this] hit really particularly hard because I, in that moment, when you think, ‘God, what if it’s my own family?’ I just really feel the pain of the father very, very much. And I know, speaking to others in the community, everybody has the same intense feeling of sadness.”
Sager is a father himself and describes the horror of the crash as unthinkable.
“It’s just something that’s painful beyond comparison, and of course, when you look at the beautiful picture of the mother and son together … it’s just so sad,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the investigation into last week’s crash continues. The West Vancouver Police Department previously said the driver, who is a TransLink employee, is cooperating with the investigation. The bus was seized for a mechanical inspection, and, at this time, investigators don’t believe speed was a factor.
“The West Vancouver Police Department is working in collaboration with the Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service (ICARS) and the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) branch to determine the full circumstances surrounding this tragic event.”
Police also continue to appeal for any witnesses or for anyone with dashcam footage of the incident to come forward. Anyone with information is urged to contact the WVPD at 604-925-7300.
As of 6 a.m. Monday, the campaign had already raised over $63,000 after its target was increased to $110,000.
The GoFundMe can be found here.
–With files from Mike Lloyd and Monika Gul.
