Danny Bampton loved animals, so to those who knew him, it was no surprise he'd try to rescue a wounded duck from the highway.
That act of compassion cost the 9-year-old eastern Missouri boy his life.
Police say Danny was riding with his mother when he saw a duck on Highway P near a relative's home in a rural area of St. Charles County. He asked if he could save it.
The car stopped, and Danny got out, put the duck in a roadside culvert, then tried to cross back over the two-lane road to his mother's car.
That's when Danny was struck by a westbound Subaru Legacy. Danny died at the scene.
Danny, the second-youngest of six children, was scheduled to begin the fourth grade on Monday at St. Joseph School in Josephville, where principal Dwight Elmore described him as a respectful, good-natured kid.
"Danny's an all-around boy," Elmore said. "Always had a smile on his face. Really, just a wholesome kid."
The family's pastor, the Rev. Larry Huber of St. Joseph Parish, said Danny loved hunting with his family and had a compassion for wildlife.
"He was just drawn towards animals," Huber said. "All animals."
Elmore said the Bamptons and their extended relatives make up at least one-third of the church's parishioners. "This is going to put a huge void in a lot of folks' lives," Elmore said.
That act of compassion cost the 9-year-old eastern Missouri boy his life.
Police say Danny was riding with his mother when he saw a duck on Highway P near a relative's home in a rural area of St. Charles County. He asked if he could save it.
The car stopped, and Danny got out, put the duck in a roadside culvert, then tried to cross back over the two-lane road to his mother's car.
That's when Danny was struck by a westbound Subaru Legacy. Danny died at the scene.
Danny, the second-youngest of six children, was scheduled to begin the fourth grade on Monday at St. Joseph School in Josephville, where principal Dwight Elmore described him as a respectful, good-natured kid.
"Danny's an all-around boy," Elmore said. "Always had a smile on his face. Really, just a wholesome kid."
The family's pastor, the Rev. Larry Huber of St. Joseph Parish, said Danny loved hunting with his family and had a compassion for wildlife.
"He was just drawn towards animals," Huber said. "All animals."
Elmore said the Bamptons and their extended relatives make up at least one-third of the church's parishioners. "This is going to put a huge void in a lot of folks' lives," Elmore said.
Danny Bampton loved animals, so to those who knew him, it was no surprise he'd try to rescue a wounded duck from the highway.
That act of compassion cost the 9-year-old eastern Missouri boy his life.
Police say Danny was riding with his mother when he saw a duck on Highway P near a relative's home in a rural area of St. Charles County. He asked if he could save it.
The car stopped, and Danny got out, put the duck in a roadside culvert, then tried to cross back over the two-lane road to his mother's car.
That's when Danny was struck by a westbound Subaru Legacy. Danny died at the scene.
Danny, the second-youngest of six children, was scheduled to begin the fourth grade on Monday at St. Joseph School in Josephville, where principal Dwight Elmore described him as a respectful, good-natured kid.
"Danny's an all-around boy," Elmore said. "Always had a smile on his face. Really, just a wholesome kid."
The family's pastor, the Rev. Larry Huber of St. Joseph Parish, said Danny loved hunting with his family and had a compassion for wildlife.
"He was just drawn towards animals," Huber said. "All animals."
Elmore said the Bamptons and their extended relatives make up at least one-third of the church's parishioners. "This is going to put a huge void in a lot of folks' lives," Elmore said.
That act of compassion cost the 9-year-old eastern Missouri boy his life.
Police say Danny was riding with his mother when he saw a duck on Highway P near a relative's home in a rural area of St. Charles County. He asked if he could save it.
The car stopped, and Danny got out, put the duck in a roadside culvert, then tried to cross back over the two-lane road to his mother's car.
That's when Danny was struck by a westbound Subaru Legacy. Danny died at the scene.
Danny, the second-youngest of six children, was scheduled to begin the fourth grade on Monday at St. Joseph School in Josephville, where principal Dwight Elmore described him as a respectful, good-natured kid.
"Danny's an all-around boy," Elmore said. "Always had a smile on his face. Really, just a wholesome kid."
The family's pastor, the Rev. Larry Huber of St. Joseph Parish, said Danny loved hunting with his family and had a compassion for wildlife.
"He was just drawn towards animals," Huber said. "All animals."
Elmore said the Bamptons and their extended relatives make up at least one-third of the church's parishioners. "This is going to put a huge void in a lot of folks' lives," Elmore said.
