WEST ALLIS, Wis. — A 9-year-old boy is awake and has a long road to recovery after he was hit by a suspected drunk driver while riding his bike.
Ben Modl was riding his bike near 84th and National in West Allis Sunday when he was hit by a 73-year-old man, who is suspected of driving drunk. Charges have not been filed by the Milwaukee County District's Attorney yet.
"The phone rang and I thought, well it was my son. I picked up the phone, and I could hear something was wrong. He said 'Mom, Ben's been hit by a car. I don't know how bad it is,'" Kathy Rom recalled.
Rom is Ben's grandmother. Her son and Ben's father called her Sunday shortly after the incident happened. It's a phone call no parent or grandparent ever wants to receive.
Ben's been at Children's Hospital since.
"He was attached to all kinds of stuff, machinery, wires, tubes, he had something down his throat, and he looked horrible," Rom said.
For 24 hours following the accident, Ben was intubated and unresponsive.
"I thought he was gonna die. We all did. We prayed and prayed," Rom said.
Monday, Ben finally woke up. He has skull fractures, internal bleeding, bruises, and other injuries. After being awake for only a few hours, his thoughts quickly turned to his late mother, who passed away last year.
"Ben said to me 'Am I gonna die like my mom?' Yeah, he's 9-years-old," Rom added.
A 9-year-old who was trying to enjoy a Sunday afternoon with his friends.
"He loves to play soccer, play with his friends, he loves to play the games, and he's just a happy-go-lucky guy. But he knows how to cross the streets and this man ran right into him," Rom explained.
Rom and her family said they want the 73-year-old man suspected of hitting Ben to be held accountable and for the D.A. to press charges. She said drivers in our region are out of control.
"People drive so fast and they're always in a hurry. Slow down," Rom said.
Also on Tuesday, Modl's family organized a GoFundMe fundraiser to help with medical costs.
"I'm creating this to help ensure Ben's LONG road to a hopefully full recovery will not be hindered in any way by any financial burdens or glitches not covered by insurance,etc and to help make this load any lighter for Ben and his Dad and brothers," Lisa Modl, the fundraiser's organizer, shared.
"Ben didn't ask for any of this. He was just being a normal kid and then this happened. Thank you for all the prayers,concern and well wishes. It means the world to our whole family."
You can donate to the fundraiser here.
Neighbors said that the intersection where Ben was hit is complicated, and they want to see better signage to warn drivers.
"We need more signs and also to give attention," Abdelrida Hussein recommended.
"Take care or slow down, in front of you, kids playing. That's good, especially in the park," Sally Hussein said.
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