MISSION VIEJO : Boy Dies of Injuries From Bike Collision

A 12-year-old Mission Viejo boy who had been comatose since being hit by a car while riding his bicycle last weekend died Wednesday evening.

Justin Jeffrey Welter, a sixth-grader at Barcelona Hills Elementary School, was pronounced dead at 5:45 p.m. at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center, where he had been on support systems since the accident Sunday evening.

“He was just the most lovable little boy I’d ever seen,” said his aunt, Vicki Thomas.

Justin, who had been riding his bike a block from his home, suffered head injuries when he apparently made a sweeping right turn onto Via San Gabriel and collided with a car, according to the Sheriff’s Department. The boy was not wearing a helmet, and the bike he was riding apparently had no brakes, authorities said.

The driver was not injured or cited, authorities said. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Geneva Presbyterian Church, 24301 El Toro Road, in Laguna Hills.

Justin’s school has created a fund to help his parents, who lack medical insurance, in paying for hospital and funeral expenses.

Donations can be made to the Justin Welter Fund, Great Western Bank, 27752 Vista del Lago, Mission Viejo, Calif. 92692. Donations can also be sent in care of Barcelona Hills Elementary School, 23000 Via Santa Maria, Mission Viejo, Calif. 92691.

Principal Suzette Lovely said donations have been pouring in from across the county, with about $2,500 collected so far.

“He always had a smile,” she said. “He really enjoyed science and fishing. We’ll just miss him so much.”

Since the accident, the boy’s parents, Jeffrey and Penny Welter, have stressed the need for helmet safety, hoping that the message will save other youngsters.

It’s a message that has long been stressed at schools. Helmets “have got to be worn,” Lovely said.