A 13-year-old Iowa boy died 10 days after being hit by an SUV while sledding near his home, police and family said.
Adam McPhatter's snowy day turned tragic on January 10th when he accidentally slid down his Anamosa driveway while sledding with friends, authorities said. Announced.
The 11-year-old friend noticed the approaching car and ran away from the sled, but McPhatter didn't give him enough attention and he didn't stop right away, according to the police report. Obtained from the official gazette.
“(The 11-year-old boy) continued to watch McPhatter's vehicle until McPhatter drove approximately 10 to 15 feet away from the edge of the driveway, put his hands down, and stopped,” police documents said. I didn't think so.''
Police say the driver of the GMC Envoy slammed on the brakes, but the car did not stop and struck the toddler.
“He was not alone and was immediately treated, but he quickly lost consciousness. His pulse was weak and fading,” a friend of the boy's mother said on the GoFundMe page. “Paramedics were able to get his heart restarted about 20 minutes after they loaded him into the ambulance at the bottom of the driveway.”
A family friend said McPhatter was taken to the hospital with a broken collarbone, pelvis, fractured vertebrae and injured neck ligaments.
The fundraising page said he also had a small amount of bleeding in his skull and some bleeding in his lungs while on a ventilator and dealing with several small seizures.
The seventh-grader was pronounced dead Saturday, police said. According to the Kansas City Star.
According to documents obtained by the Gazette, the friend told police that McPhatter and a friend were rushing towards a snow ridge near the base of the hill.
The young boy reportedly did not intend to go to the road as it was too dangerous.
The driver told the Iowa State Patrol that he did not see the boy rapidly approaching until it was too late, the newspaper reported, citing police documents.
The SUV continued to slide after the collision and crashed into a ditch.
Police tried to recreate the scene to see if the driver's explanation made sense.
One Jones County Sheriff's Office deputy rode a sled down the driveway while a state trooper took video from the road in a police pickup truck, according to a police report.
McPhatter loved sports and the outdoors, and was always up for an adventure. His obituary reads:
“He loved his family and spending time with them. Adam loved listening to folk tales and learning from his grandparents and great-grandparents,” the obi reads. . “He loved his friends and enjoyed every moment he could spend with them.”
No charges have been filed as the investigation continues.
