A 16-year-old Virginia boy was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver on Friday night while walking home from an Arby’s restaurant, according to local authorities and family statements. Joshua Driver, described by his family as autistic and mentally disabled, was forced to walk along West Broad Street in Henrico County after missing his usual bus home.
Police have arrested 41-year-old John Daniel Bruehl in connection with the crash. Investigators state that Bruehl was driving under the influence when his vehicle struck the teenager and fled the scene.
According to Joshua’s mother, Sharon Driver, the teenager usually wore a reflective safety vest when walking near traffic. However, the vest was unavailable on the night of the incident. “He had one of those vests given to him by the bus operator,” Driver said. “But the day before I washed it, so it was in the washer still … and I hadn’t had a chance to dry it.”
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Joshua had traveled to the restaurant with his brother earlier in the evening. The two became separated when the brother caught the final transit vehicle of the night.
“[The brother] came back on his own on [the] last bus, and Joshua missed the last bus,” Driver told 8 News. “I believe that Josh was walking back … when this happened to him.”
Henrico County police discovered Joshua’s body in a grassy area on the shoulder of the road early Saturday morning, approximately three hours after the collision occurred.
The delay in finding her son has left Driver questioning the final moments of his life. “I don’t know if he suffered or if he died instantly,” she said. “He didn’t even grow up. He didn’t become an adult.”
An online fundraising campaign established to support the family noted that while Joshua faced cognitive challenges, he remained “aware of what was happening around him.”
Bruehl faces charges of driving under the influence and felony hit-and-run. County arrest records indicate this is Bruehl’s second alleged DUI offense within a five- to ten-year window.
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Expressing the family’s grief over the circumstances of the crash, Driver condemned the driver’s actions and the choices that led to the incident. “This man just hit him and ran away,” Driver told 8 News. “How can he do that to my son? I feel like he has no heart. He didn’t have a heart.”
Reflecting on the broader impact of impaired driving, she added, “It hurts people, it kills people. It killed my son.”
A GoFundMe has been launched to help the family with funeral costs.
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