Washington, April 16 (IANS) As authorities probed the Boston Marathon bombings that killed three people, including an eight-year-old boy, his father tried hard to cope with the tragedy in which his wife and daughter also suffered injuries.
As he grieved the death of his son, Bill Richard said he was also trying to help his wife and daughter recover from injuries they suffered with 174 others in the terrorist attack Monday.
“My dear son Martin has died from injuries sustained in the attack on Boston. My wife and daughter are both recovering from serious injuries,” said Richard in a statement cited by the Boston Globe.
“We thank our family and friends, those we know and those we have never met, for their thoughts and prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for my family as we remember Martin.”
He added, “we also ask for your patience and for privacy as we work to simultaneously grieve and recover. Thank you”.
The Globe said grief-stricken neighbours described the eight-year-old boy as a child full of life who was part of a very close-knit family.
“They were always together,” neighbour Jane Sherman was quoted as saying.
“This is the worst tragedy I have ever been through in my life. It’s a horrific situation.”
The boy, his mother and sister were at the Boylston street finish line when the bombs detonated.
As word spread among the many friends and acquaintances of the Richard family, people stopped by the family’s home, some leaving flowers, some balloons, and some leaving stuffed animals on the front porch, all adding to the makeshift memorial, the Globe said.
Among them was a regular playmate of Martin, Kaitlyn Lynch, who is in the third grade at the Neighbourhood House Charter School with Martin.
“We always played on Fridays,” the eight-year-old told the Globe with her mother’s permission. “We draw together. We draw sports pictures.”
Neighbour Dan Aguilar said that the Richard family was close, and that on most days – regardless of the weather – Martin Richard and his brother were in the family’s backyard, playing soccer, hockey, or baseball.
“They are just your average little boys,” Aguilar was cited by the Globe as telling reporters gathered near the family’s home. “They are a good family. They are always together.”
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