A Walk for Snacks Ends in Tragedy: West Mifflin Community Mourns Terrel Byars Jr., 13

It was just a short walk to the store, a simple, everyday errand for a kid on a Saturday evening. For 13-year-old Terrel Byars Jr., that walk home from a friend’s house along Kennywood Boulevard in West Mifflin turned into an unthinkable nightmare. He was struck by a vehicle. The vibrant boy, described by all who knew him as a bright light, was suddenly fighting for his life.

Terrel suffered devastating injuries. First responders rushed him to a nearby hospital, where doctors performed emergency surgery, fighting to save him. But the injuries were too severe. The seventh grader in the East Allegheny School District did not survive. The news sent a shockwave of pure grief through his family, his school, and the entire tight-knit community.

Terrel wasn’t just a statistic. He was a son, a friend, a classmate whose smile could light up a room. His family remembers a loving, joyful boy who was full of life. The East Allegheny School District quickly moved to support its reeling students, sharing heartfelt condolences and offering grief counseling services to help kids process a loss that makes no sense.

Now, his family is left to plan a funeral for a child who should be planning his week around homework and hanging out with friends. A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help cover the sudden and overwhelming costs of funeral expenses and other related needs. It’s a small, practical step in the face of a void that can never be filled.

The investigation into the exact circumstances of the crash is ongoing. West Mifflin police are piecing together what happened on that stretch of road. But for those who loved Terrel, the questions of “how” and “why” are drowned out by the overwhelming reality of his absence. The focus has shifted from blame to remembrance, and to simply trying to cope.

His death is a stark, painful reminder of how fragile life is. It hits home for any parent who has ever waved their child off to a friend’s house, for any community that sees its kids walking familiar neighborhood streets. Terrel’s story is a chilling “what if” that became all too real for one family.

In the end, beyond the police reports and the fundraising pages, what remains is the memory of a boy. Terrel Byars Jr. was here for 13 years. He was loved deeply, and he is missed desperately. His community is now left to hold his family up, and to promise that the bright, loving kid from West Mifflin will never be forgotten.