ADRIAN, Michigan (WTVG/Gray News) – The parents of a 15-year-old boy involved in a hit-and-run crash are asking anyone with information to come forward so police can track down the driver who left their son in life-threatening condition.
Jack and Carrie Courington are staying close to their 15-year-old son, Dakota Courington, after he was hit by a car while riding his bike. They spend their days at ProMedica Russell J. Ebeid Children’s Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, and their nights at the nearby Ronald McDonald House, WTVG reports.
“I can’t understand how someone could do something like that,” said Carrie Courington.
The accident happened just after noon Friday in Adrian, Michigan. Dakota asked his father for permission to ride his bike to a friend’s house a few blocks away so he could help with a garage sale.
“He hugged me and kissed me on the cheek and said, ‘Daddy, I love you so much.’ I hugged and kissed him back. I told him, ‘I love you too.’ I said, ‘Be careful and watch for cars,'” Jack Courington said.
A short time later, Jack Courington received a call that his son had been hit by a car. According to witnesses, the driver did not stop.
The father went straight to the intersection of Clinton and Chestnut, where first responders had already arrived.
“My mom and I went to the scene of the accident and he was just laying there,” he said. “A witness told me they saw him get hit. He flew into the air and landed on the ground and then the car ran over him completely.”
Following the accident, Dakota was placed in an induced coma after his parents reported he had swelling that triggered a seizure. His condition was critical on Monday.
“I just don’t understand why someone would run over a kid on the street and just leave him there like he’s trash. That just doesn’t make sense to me and I want someone to catch this guy so this doesn’t happen to someone else’s kid,” said Jack Courington.
Adrian police released a description of the vehicle that struck Dakota, which they said was either a silver sedan or a small crossover SUV.
The 15-year-old was pulling a trailer behind his bicycle to transport his lawn mower, but his parents said the trailer was empty when the accident happened.
The Couringtons are asking anyone with information to contact police, who are looking for a silver vehicle with damage to the passenger side.
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