LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas boy who was run over by a truck while he rode his e-bike on a sidewalk has suffered life-threatening injuries and survived.
Rayan Kim, 11, was struck by a 2012 Nissan Frontier around 7.30 on Tuesday while on his way to Gunderson Middle School.
How it Happened
Kim was riding his e-bike on the sidewalk when a pickup truck hit him, threw him off, and ran him over near Cactus Avenue and Cliff Lake Street- just a mile from his school.
According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, after the horrific accident, Kim was taken to University Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
‘He lost his right ear, skin, and face,’ the boy’s mother who chose not to share her name said.
It is a Miracle
In an update posted on Friday to a GoFundMe page in Rayan’s honor, Kristen Penny, a close friend of the family revealed that doctor‘s said that the boy is alive and called it a ‘miracle.’
The driver, Leo Gonzalez-Ceron, 39, was not injured and did not show any signs of impairment. Police said that he stayed at the scene after Kim was hit and that they do not suspect that he was impaired at the time of the incident.
Victim Impact Statement
The mother of three also revealed that her eldest son suffered multiple fractures to his jaw, a broken left arm and a brain hemorrhage from the hit.
‘I miss my son. I’m scared,’ Kim’s mother said.
Pictures of the young boy, who is mother said has always been by her side and ‘affects everyone’s life,’ showed severe swelling and bruising on his face.
Initial images showed Kim with many tubes and wires hooked up to his body as he laid in a hospital bed with his eyes closed, dressed in a kid’s gown, with a rosary around his neck.
The heartbroken mother told KSNV: ‘He left home before going to school [and said] ”Mom, I love you.’ That’s the last time I heard his voice.’
Rayan’s mother said: ‘I’m his mom, but I want to tell you he raised me. He changed me. He taught me what is love. And he’s really strong. He has a big heart.’
During her interview, the child’s mother held on tight to a rosary as well, as she pleaded for bicycle-involved accidents to stop in the area.
‘We don’t [need] more victims,’ the mother said.
10 Accidents in 29 Days
‘We must teach and show them what real love is and what is safe, and how to save future children.’
In the last 29 days, there have been 10 fatal pedestrian accidents in Las Vegas, according to a post from the police department.
There were a total of 16 fatal collisions, including multiple vehicle accidents, as the department said that is an 80 percent increase from last year.
‘This is a trend we cannot continue, Las Vegas!’
‘WE are all a part of this community, and we need everyone to take immediate personal responsibility for safety to combat the rising FATAL collisions,’ the post said.
