Bullied Teen, 14, Steps in Front of Tractor-Trailer

A 14-year-old boy stepped in front of a tractor-trailer in central Pennsylvania last week, and became the latest victim of school bullying to turn to suicide, the Patriot-News reports. Brandon Bitner, who had a close group of friends and a passion for the violin, wrote in his suicide note that he felt unable to stop the torment he faced for three years at school. Brandon's fate, along with others including Tyler Clementi, have prompted a wave of support from local and national anti-bullying groups like the It Gets Better Project.

“People have to know that this can happen to anyone, even people you don’t suspect,” says Bitner’s cousin. Aside from an incident just prior to Bitner’s death, his difficulties were rarely reported to the school’s principal, but “the fact they don’t report it doesn’t let us off the hook. We need to reach out to kids,” he said. (More It Gets Better stories.)