PITTSBURGH — An 8-year-old boy who was hit by an SUV while riding his bike in Point Breeze last month is preparing to be released from Children’s Hospital on Friday.
Kristen Engle has spent almost every minute at Children's Hospital since her 8-year-old son, Iain, was hit by an SUV on April 22.
"He has far less injuries than I would have ever expected or the doctors would have expected," said Engle.
Iain was riding with his twin sister and his dad when the accident happened. The driver was not charged but stayed near the accident. Once Kristen got there and saw the mangled bike she said she was surprised Ian survived.
Channel 11's Jennifer Tomazic reported that Iain has permanent hearing loss in one ear, nerve damage in his eye and his ankle is still in a cast.
Despite the injuries Iain has remained positive about his full recovery.
"The left side of my mouth can't squeeze shut, so things leak. My eye is the same, just crossed a little bit so, it's nothing big. It will just take 6 to 7 months, it'll be fine," said Iain.
Engle said her son asked about his bike, that his mother said he got the day before the accident. But she said he has been riding a bike since he was 3 and she doesn't think this accident will stop him from wanting to continue.
Meantime, she hopes more bike lanes will be built for bicyclists off all ages in Pittsburgh.
"I'd like to see those paths where those kids lose their attention and the worst things that happen is, if they have a helmet on, they get a skinned knee," said Engle.
That's something Bike Pittsburgh Executive Director Scott Bricker also would like to see. Until then, he wants to make sure motorists take note of bicyclists on the road.
"Everyone in a car is a pedestrian at some point and many of them want to be bicyclists at some point but they don't feel safe enough to do so," said Bricker.
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