It was a sunny Wednesday afternoon at about half past two, and the St. Louis Priory School’s cross country team was out for a practice run near the 1200 block of Conway Road near Williamsburg Road. Although it seemed like merely a routine practice, one misstep and fall had fatal consequences when seventh grader Brandon Hsueh fell into the road, where he was almost immediately run over by a woman driving an SUV.

Although Brandon was immediately rushed to the hospital, his situation was already dire. Two days later, Brandon died on Sept. 30 at 12:50 A.M.

The situation was one of the nightmares of coaches and parents of athletes alike—it was one where a child simply fell into the road, and there was nothing a driver in an oncoming car could do to prevent themselves from hitting him or her. The driver of the SUV was not distracted or speeding—there was just no way she could have stopped her vehicle in time.

Brandon was an optimistic kid, interested in video games, cello, piano, karate and tennis. According to the Monday Morning Highlights at Priory on Oct. 3, “Most of all, during his all-too-short a time with us here at Priory, he was known for a smile that was big enough and bright enough to light his way down the hallway.”

However, Brandon’s death remains present in hearts and minds of many, not only as a tragic accident, but also as a reminder and lesson. According to Kurt Werner, the head cross country coach at CHS, such an incident can be very traumatic.

“It [Brandon’s death] terrified me as a coach because that’s like the ultimate . . . worst case scenario, a kid just stumbles out in the middle of the road and a car has no chance of stopping,” Werner said.

Fortunately, the junior cross country team at Wydown Middle School only runs in very safe areas along Wydown Blvd. or Forsyth from Hanley to Skinker, where there is a wide running path, as well as on the track near Concordia Seminary.

For the CHS cross country team, about 75 percent of cross country practices happen in Shaw Park for the CHS cross country team according to Werner, but the team does venture out for longer runs on congested roads like Forest Park Parkway, Brentwood, Forsyth, Maryland and Ladue Avenue.

CHS cross country runners must sign safety contracts at the beginning of season that include precautions such as running on sidewalks when available and running on the left side of the road, facing traffic. Unfortunately, because Clayton is “land-locked” there’s not much opportunity to run in safer, rural areas.

“The students are well aware of [the congestion], but at the same time they do it on a daily basis and they are aware of the cars and the people,” Werner said.

The closest call Werner has had was at the intersection of Brentwood Blvd. and Forest Park Parkway, when the team was headed towards Meramec Elementary School.

“I had one car turning onto Brentwood . . . [making] a right hand turn looking left the whole time, not even looking on the sidewalk,” Werner said. “[And] even though we had the little walk guy, straight up and beeping and everything else telling us to go, I just grabbed some of the kids and sure enough he made the turn and went right on past. He probably would’ve hit about four of us. So it does happen once in a while and it’s always good that the coaches are usually out on the runs with students. I generally tend to definitely go on runs with the newer runners, freshmen in particular when we start hitting roads.”

Although Brandon’s coach was only 10 feet behind him when he fell into traffic, there’s a large difference between the CHS and Priory team.

“I have about 45 to 50 on my team when we’re at maximum capacity, but at Priory, where you have to do a sport, you can have anywhere from probably 75 to 100 boys on their team, which is a lot for a couple coaches to look over,” Werner said.

The death of Brandon Hsueh has affected CHS cross country runners as well.

“I think it’s a tragedy, and it’s had a big impact on safety regulations and awareness of our surroundings,” junior Matthew Garrett, a member of the varsity cross country team, said. “Coach Werner cautioned us about safe running behavior, and he is very displeased when a runner attempts take a shortcut that has not been approved, and reprimands them for it. We haven’t changed our routes, but we’re now even more aware of the dangers present while running.”

Overall, Brandon’s death was not only was a closure of life, but the opening of discussion about more safety regulations for cross country teams. Brandon also helped save lives posthumously by donating his organs, an incredibly generous act that possibly saved the lives of many. According to the Monday Morning Highlights at Priory on Oct. 3, “A simple gesture of straightforward giving…but it is pure Brandon.”