Buffalo Grove security guard's family speaks after he dies protecting students

Late Buffalo Grove HS security guard remembered as a hero

A Buffalo Grove High School security guard who died in an accident last week is being remembered as a hero.

BUFFALO GROVE - A Buffalo Grove High School security guard is being remembered as a hero after dying days following a crash that occurred while he was helping students cross the street.

Family members say Orlando Rivas stepped in to protect students when a car veered off the road, pushing them out of harm’s way before a pole struck him. He later died from his injuries. 

Now, the community is mourning the loss of a man they say always put others first.

The backstory:

Orlando Rivas was working after school last Tuesday, helping students safely cross the street. According to his family, a car went off the road and crashed into a pole nearby.

They say Rivas acted immediately, pushing students out of the way as the pole came down. The pole hit him instead. Orlando was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent surgery. 

Rivas survived the procedure, but died days later on Friday.

Thousands of people gathered at a vigil over the weekend to honor Rivas and support his family. Many say he made them feel safe — and seen — every single day.

What they're saying:

"He lights up a room. I mean, if you're down, the number one person you want to be around is Orlando... He will talk to you about your problems and, you know, just point out all the positives of, you know, everything that's going wrong in your life, and he will just bring you right back up to, you know, being happy again," Keith Tennyson said.

Family members said his actions in his final moments reflected exactly who he was: selfless, positive and always willing to help.

"We want him to be remembered as a hero, because that's exactly what he is. He would drop anything he's doing to help somebody that he knew was in trouble. He was so selfless. He wanted people to be happy; that made him happy," Tennyson said.

His family also described him as "magic," pointing to the lasting impact he had on students.

"We heard stories from kids, how he touched their lives. There was a story of a kid who was severely bullied, would sit by himself at lunch, wanted to transfer schools. Got to the point where he was talking about, you know, no longer wanting to be around anymore, and Orlando would sit with him at lunch, talk to him every day, bring him back up. They even played guitar together at one point," Tennyson said.

What's next:

Rivas leaves behind a wife and four children, ranging in age from 4 to 30. 

Even in death, his legacy of service continues through organ donation that has already helped save additional lives.