Heroic crossing guard loses his life saving student
A volunteer crossing guard at a Lafayette middle school was being hailed as a hero Wednesday after he pushed children from the path of a vehicle that ended up striking him, causing fatal injuries.
Ashley Dias, 45, was a clinical research associate at a biotechnology firm and had been volunteering as a crossing guard during his spare time. At about 3 p.m. Wednesday, he was filling in for another guard outside Stanley Middle School at School Street and Paradise Court when a vehicle struck him and a child, according to his parents and police.
His parents told The Chronicle they received a call from the crossing guard company advising them to call John Muir Health about Dias, saying that he had been injured, but did not provide further information, said Dias’ mother, Gloria Dias. She said they rushed to the hospital, where a social worker met the family.
“She took us to a little room, and my daughter was there. She was sobbing and sobbing and sobbing,” Gloria Dias said. “I said, ‘Vanessa, what happened?’ And she said, ‘He’s gone. He’s gone.’ And I said, ‘What?’ And she said, ‘Ashley is gone.’ ”
A parent who witnessed the crash texted Gloria Dias to say they saw Dias “rush to a group of students who were barely able to get out of the way and saw him push the student towards the sidewalk and just out of reach from the car.”
The parent said they saw him get pulled under the vehicle, but the child made “it out safely.”
“He is a hero and put his life on the line to save a student,” the parent wrote to Gloria Dias. “He should definitely be remembered.”
The child received minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital as a precautionary measure, Lafayette police said.
Contra Costa County sheriff ’s officials said in a statement late Wednesday night that residents and Lafayette police officers pulled the unresponsive victim — identified by relatives as Dias — from underneath the vehicle. Officers gave him CPR until he was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The driver of the vehicle has been interviewed by authorities and is cooperative, sheriff ’s officials said.
Richard Whitmore, superintendent for the Lafayette School District, said school district officials had no additional information and were “at the school working with our team” on Wednesday afternoon.
Ashley Dias’ father, Fabio Dias, told The Chronicle that he still doesn’t understand what happened, pointing to the bright red and orange vest his son wore, and the large flag he carried while volunteering to “help kids in the neighborhood.”
“And in spite of that, the car comes and hits him and kills him. And I lost my son,” Fabio Dias said. “He was doing his job as a crossing guard. He has done this many times.”
Gloria Dias described her son as a gentle, helpful man with a “fantastic sense of humor.”
He was known as a “foodie” in his family, took his family to restaurants across the region, and planned family vacations “down to the last detail,” she said. He loved hiking and would frequently take his young niece on hikes in the region, she said.
He would frequently barbecue, made turkey and stuffing for Thanksgiving, and also whipped up healthy keto meals for his mother, she said.
“Just this afternoon, I spoke to him and said, ‘Ashley, I need to go on a diet, you know? Cook me some keto meals,’ ” Gloria recalled of her conversation with her son earlier Wednesday afternoon. “And he said, ‘Sure mom.’ But you know, it never happened. He was too young to die.”
Ashley Dias is survived by his parents, his two siblings, and his niece. He was born in San Francisco, where he attended St. Thomas the Apostle School before going on to attend Stanley Middle School and Acalanes High School in Lafayette. He graduated from San Francisco State University with a bachelor’s in computer science, his family said.
Anyone with information about this incident should contact Lafayette police Sgt. Charlene Jacquez at 925-299-3234 or by email cjacq@so.cccounty.