WELLINGTON, Fla. — A mother's grief has transformed into a powerful advocacy campaign for school safety nearly one year after her 13-year-old son died in a tragic bicycle accident outside Woodlands Middle School in Wellington.
Kristina Coggin spoke to WPTV for the first time since losing her son, Landon, during a dedication ceremony held in his honor at the school.
WATCH WPTV'S COVERAGE BELOW:
The eighth-grader died after crashing his bike after school and falling into traffic near the school campus.
"I knew how much he was loved at home by his family and his friends, but I didn't know how well loved he was around this school," Coggin said, pausing with a deep sigh during the emotional ceremony.
Since the tragedy, Coggin has met relentlessly with state and local representatives to push for safer infrastructure around schools.
Her advocacy has already yielded some results.
Coggin said in December, new signs went up along Lyons Road directing trucks to use the left lane and stay away from the right lane, which runs closer to sidewalks where students walk.
The family is now advocating for wider sidewalks and guardrails to separate students from busy roadways.
Her latest initiative involves creating a pedestrian bridge over the canal between Woodlands Middle School and Joaquin Garcia High School, allowing students to avoid the dangerous roadway where Landon lost his life.
"This shouldn't have happened. Kids should be able to ride their bikes and walk home from school. This could have been prevented," Coggin said.
A road study on the potential bridge should be completed by the end of February, with staff planning to bring the matter before the school board in March, according to family members.
The school dedicated its Fine Arts Hallway in Landon's honor, located outside the choir room where he loved to sing.
"It's such a central part of our school. That's where we all enter, that's where we all exit," said Danielle Fuente, Landon's chorus teacher.
"Every single student walks past that, every single teacher walks through there to start our day and to end our day. It's just a beautiful thing because now he's not forgotten."
Fuente said the school has collected a binder of letters from students and staff, sending copies to state representatives to help get safety measures approved.
"Please help us, please keep our kids safe. This was something that was unspeakable grief," Fuente said. "Not only did we lose one of our own, but busloads of students witnessed that happen, and that's something no one should have to see, especially middle schoolers."
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
