Jun 5, 2014 3 min read

Shannon Rush will always remember her 6-year-old nephew with a smile on his face.

“He was always happy. He never cried,” Shannon Rush said as she sobbed.

Dominic Rush, of West Finley, was killed Wednesday night when the Jeep sport utility vehicle his mother, Crystal Rush, 23, also of West Finley, was driving went off the road just east of the Taylorstown exit on Interstate 70. According to Washington County Coroner Tim Warco, the SUV left the passing lane and traveled 342 feet in the medial before rolling multiple times and landing on its roof around 7:30 p.m.

Dominic Rush was ejected and pinned under the vehicle. Witnesses on the scene lifted the vehicle to free him, but he was pronounced dead at 8:24 p.m. His death was ruled accidental.

Crystal Rush, who was also ejected, was flown to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. Shannon Rush said her sister was still in the hospital Thursday and was being treated for road rash.

Neither was wearing a seat belt, something that Shannon Rush can’t comprehend.

“We are still trying to figure this out,” she said. “Dominic is dead and (Crystal) is perfectly fine.”

Shannon Rush said her nephew wasn’t in his car seat and his window was down when the crash occurred.

“They were driving to Claysville,” she said.

She said Dominic Rush loved to be outside, ride his bike and play soccer.

But his joy was spending time with his maternal grandmother, Tammy Rush, and his Jack Russell terrier, Little Man.

“My mom was his best friend. That was his world,” Shannon Rush said as she choked back tears.

Shannon Rush said the family is currently overwhelmed by funeral arrangements. They are seeking donations to help with his burial.

“We were so close. He was like my kid,” she said.

Dominic Rush’s death has also shaken the Claysville Elementary School community. Dominic Rush was enrolled as a kindergarten student there from November to February, according to McGuffey School District Superintendent Erica Kolat.

Kolat extended her sympathies to the family.

“Our heartfelt sympathy and prayers are extended to Dominic’s family,” Kolat said in an email. “Counselors, social workers and administrators were available (Thursday) morning at Claysville Elementary School, and we will continue to provide services as needed.”

Letters were sent home to the parents of the boy’s former classmates so they are aware of the loss. This is the third kindergarten student from Claysville Elementary to tragically die this year. Taylor Ann Louise Stout, 5, of Camp Resort Road, Four Seasons Campground, West Finley, died in September after she was ejected from a vehicle after it traveled off Majorsville Road and into an embankment. Timothy A. Hewitt Jr., 5, and his mother Lisa M. Hewitt, 27, were killed when their Wigington Road home caught fire in Buffalo Township in the fall.

State Trooper Stefani Plume said the investigation into the crash is ongoing and could take more than a month to complete. She was unaware of any factors that could have contributed to the crash or if charges would be filed.

The family is asking that donations be sent to Tammy Patterson at Friendship Baptist Church, 17 E. Walnut St., Washington. Patterson can also be reached at 724-328-3066.