Michigan teen left in street 'like garbage' after hit-and-run, father says
Dakota Courington, 15. (Credit: Carrie Courington)
ADRIAN, Mich. - A Michigan teenager remains in a drug-induced coma, fighting for his life, after he was hit by a vehicle while riding his bike last week.
Jack and Carrie Courington of Adrian said the driver left the scene, leaving their 15-year-old son, Dakota, lying and bleeding in the street.
"They just left him lying there like he was a bag of garbage on the street," Jack told FOX Television Stations. "They just ran over him."
Jack said on August 9, his son wanted to ride his bike to a friend's house to help with a garage sale.
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"I said, okay" Jack continued. "He [Dakota] said, ‘Dad, I want to tell you something.’ I go, ‘What's that?’ He goes, ‘Dad I want to give you a hug and a kiss on the cheek, I love you so much.’"
"And I said, ‘I love you, too'," Jack added. "So I gave him a hug and a kiss back."
Jack said about an hour after his son had left, he had received a call that Dakota had been hit by a car.
"He was lying there. His eyes were closed," Jack, a former firefighter, described the scene. "He wasn't moving. He wasn't responsive, and he had blood running out of his ears."
Jack said his son suffered brutal injuries, including a seizure, and was told it was as if "somebody [was] hitting him with a baseball bat 50 times in the head."
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Dakota, who was excited to start high school this year, remains in critical condition at ProMedica Russell J. Ebeid Children’s Hospital in Toledo, Ohio.
The couple hopes by going public with their story, the at-fault driver will come forward or is caught. They also hope to prevent similar incidents.
"I just want him to come forward," Jack said. "People make mistakes. I understand that, but you don't leave my kid in the middle of the street, fighting for his life, because you're afraid of being charged with something."
The couple said their son was known in the neighborhood for cutting grass. He had an empty trailer for his lawnmower attached to his bike at the time of the accident.
"I just can't believe how anybody could do it to him," Carrie said. "He's well known in the neighborhood for mowing, and he's well-liked."