An 11-year-old boy was dragged 50ft down an American street after he was struck by an alleged drunk driver while riding his bicycle at a crossing.
Caleb Ingelhart was only two minutes from home when he tried to cross the street but was struck by the SUV – and is now fighting for his life in hospital.
He has suffered a host of horrific injuries, with passers-by saying the driver continued for some time being noticing Caleb, in Aurora, Colorado.
Bystanders lifted the SUV off the boy and a woman pulled him out, according to police.
Caleb suffered a skull fracture, brain bleed, a fractured scapula, deep cuts to bones, trauma to neck tendons, road rash and other injuries as a result.
His family say it is a miracle that he is still alive.
Great uncle Bob Ingelhart, 60, said: ‘His injuries are horrific and it is a miracle that he is alive.
‘His face was swollen, he was in a neck brace and he had deep scrapes in his skin.
‘The bystanders are really the heroes here. They banded together, saved Caleb’s life and got the driver stopped and under control.’
Caleb was riding his bike on the pavement of North Chambers Road and was using the crossing when he was hit at 7.30pm on June 10, documents said.
An affidavit said after the collision, the 32-year-old driver turned right and continued north.
The unnamed man allegedly dragged the boy and his bike under his GMC Jimmy SUV for a ‘considerable distance’, police said, while witnesses shouted and beeped their horns at him in an effort to get him to stop.
The driver was arrested for vehicular assault, driving while under the influence of alcohol, driving with a suspended license and failure to yield to a pedestrian.
According to an arrest affidavit, one witness told police that he saw the man hide a ‘can of booze of some sort’ in the back of the vehicle before getting out to help the boy.
The affidavit says he denied this claim, and being drunk, but did later tell officers that he drank with his co-workers before hitting the boy and had ‘maybe two Smirnoffs.’
Bob said Caleb is now recovering at home, but still ‘has periods with major pain.’
bbc
