ST. CLOUD, Fla. — A St. Cloud mother is taking the tragedy of losing her son to make it safer for others crossing U.S. 192.

What You Need To Know

  • Joshua Lyonnais was killed riding his bike on U.S. 192 in 2018

  • His mother, Celeste Martin urged FDOT to make changes

  • FDOT decided to install two crosswalks with pedestrian activated signals

  • Crosswalks opened this summer in time for school

Celeste Martin’s son Joshua Lyonnais was killed at just the age of 16.

“He was hit by a car on his bicycle. He was actually on his way to help someone else out when it happened,” said Martin.

It was the day before Thanksgiving in 2018, when Lyonnais was crossing U.S. 192 in St. Cloud.

“After I lost him, I just sat up at the scene and thought, 'What can I do to save someone else’s life?'” said Martin.

Lyonnais’s mother didn’t just think of what she could do, she took action, pursuing change.

“When I found out it was FDOT (in charge of the highway), I contacted them and then started sending them videos and pictures of other people crossing there, some near misses, in hopes of getting something done," she said.

FDOT officials took note and said they’d look at the location to see what they could do.

In 2019, FDOT officials completed their safety study, determining a lot of St. Cloud High School students, like Lyonnais, cross U.S. 192 at Indiana Avenue.

Martin kept on FDOT to make changes.

“I bugged them all the time because the sooner it would happen, the more lives could be saved,” she said.

Finally, this summer, just in time for school, two new U.S. 192 crossings opened at Indiana and Florida avenues. Both have pedestrian activated signals to indicate to drivers when to stop for those crossing.

“My hopes for the crosswalks now that there up and functional is to save multiple other lives,” said Martin.

Nearby, Martin and her family set up a lasting memorial for her son, sometimes called a ghost bike.

The crosswalks were a good start, but she’s not done pursuing change on this stretch of U.S. 192.

“I’m hoping to get this area turned into a school zone, 20 mile per hour during school,” said Martin, “so that no one else has to lose a family member like I’ve had to lose my son. It changes your entire your life to lose someone, especially one of your own children.”

FDOT also reconstructed and upgraded an existing traffic signal on U.S. 192 at Michigan Avenue to help improve pedestrian safety.

Construction on the entire project cost $3.5 million.