Relatives grieve death of 4-year-old hit by pickup: ‘He met no strangers, friendly with everybody’

An afternoon of frolicking outside with neighborhood friends ended tragically for Xyaire Askew Sunday evening, when a pickup truck struck the 4-year-old, leaving relatives grieving over the death of a little boy who loved to dance, wrestle and make new friends. Xyaire, from the Wrightwood neighborhood, was visiting his father in the Avalon Park neighborhood. He was playing with and running around with other children, but ended up in the street about 5:30 p.m., according to relatives.A 52-year-old man behind the wheel of a 2021 Dodge Ram was turning onto South Harper Avenue from East 82nd Street. The driver told police he didn’t see Xyaire and hit him before he could fully stop, the report said.Relatives say Xyaire was a “lovable child,” often seen laughing and smiling.“He liked to eat. He liked to wrestle and play with me,” his great-grandmother Iona Bell, 70, from Wrightwood, told the Sun-Times. Whenever Xyaire heard music — no matter what kind, he would dance, according to Bell. He often joined her on her walks, going up and down the block, she added.During trips to the grocery store, Xyaire always asked for green grapes and chicken — his favorite foods, according to Bell.“He called it ‘chicky chicky,’” Bell said. “I’d be like, ‘You want chicky chicky?’”Xyaire was one year from starting elementary school. He was an only child, but had a “large family of aunts, uncles and cousins” who loved him, Bell said.“He met no strangers, friendly with everybody,” Bell said. “Once he meets you, he will remember you.”Xyaire was taken by ambulance to Comer Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:58 p.m., according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.No one in the pickup was injured, including a 4-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl.A Monday examination by the medical examiner’s office determined Xyaire died of head injuries suffered in the crash, and his death was ruled accidental.The driver was cited for failing to yield, police said. He consented to chemical testing, and results are pending.The pickup was towed for an investigation that is being handled by the Major Accident Unit.“I will forever miss him,” Bell said.On Tuesday, the family announced a fundraiser to help with expenses.