A South Florida teenager is lucky to be alive after being hit on his scooter and thrown into the air. Neighbors are outraged because they’ve been telling the county for years the intersection is dangerous. Karen Hensel has tonight’s 7 investigates.
A life-threatening moment for 18-year-old Kenny Bowers was caught on camera. He was riding his electric scooter when he was hit by a car.
We are stopping the video before Kenny is sent flying and flipping into the air.
Sharmaine Bowers, mother: “No, I can’t watch that. I watch everybody’s expression when they do watch it. And from their expression, I know I don’t want to see it.”
Kenny was airlifted to Jackson South Medical Center.
He was hospitalized for more than a month with broken bones and a skull fracture. He is now learning to walk again and feed himself.
Sharmaine Bowers: “Hold a spoon, you know, now he holds it now, but his hand shakes, like when he’s holding his spoon. He has a lot of rods and screws, and he has four plates, like over 30 screws.”
Kenny was hit so hard it broke his scooter in half.
But his body is also riddled with scars, both physical and mental.
Sharmaine Bowers: “He’s on the spectrum, autism spectrum. People on the spectrum do not like to be contained. This felt like it was holding him prisoner.”
Kenny Bowers: “Waking up at the hospital, trying to find out what’s going on. Trying to see where I was and what was happening. I heard my mother’s voice, and I called out to her. I know she was really panicked. And I was scared, too.”
Kenny was hit on May 4th along Southwest 272nd Street in South Miami-Dade County.
The crash report shows Kenny failed to yield and that the driver of the car, a 76-year-old woman, was going an estimated 50 in a 30 mph zone.
Even more concerning, Naranja Lakes Legacy Park is right across the street.
We saw car after car speeding down the same road. The only speed limit sign is hidden by trees an eighth of a mile away.
With no crosswalks, this family with a baby stroller had to wait, and kids at the same intersection where Kenny was hit also tried getting home safely from the park.
Sharmaine Bowers: “From the neighborhood to the park, there are no crosswalks. None at all.”
And that is only part of the problem. We spoke with one neighbor who says that Kenny is not the first person to be hit and injured along this road. She says they have repeatedly asked the county for crosswalks, speed bumps, and signs to slow down drivers, but have gotten nothing.
Sharmaine Bowers: “I blame the county because they know.”
This father has also asked the county to install crosswalks.
Mike, neighbor: “If you look in other parts of Miami. there’s crosswalks, stop signs and all these other things. This area has been overlooked, especially this park.”
Meanwhile, Kenny’s mom is looking for answers about why the driver, who did stop, was never cited for speeding.
Sharmaine Bowers: “I want her to see the video. If she was speeding, why didn’t she get a ticket? Why didn’t she get a citation? Why didn’t she get something?”
Kenny missed his senior prom.
And although he could not walk the stage at graduation, he did make it in a wheelchair, with one goal.
Kenny Bowers: “Just to be able to walk on my own two feet — without the walker, without the wheelchair, without nothing.”
As Kenny recovers, his mom also has a new goal: to make his accident a turning point for safety at this county park.
Miami-Dade County officials say there have been four accidents since last year in the same area where Kenny was injured. They are looking into the issue.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help with Kenny’s mounting medical bills.
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