WOODBURY, Minn. - Charges are being sought after a 14-year-old boy was hit while riding his bicycle by a driver who was checking her phone.
Woodbury Public Safety officials say the crash happened just after 7:30 a.m. at the intersection of Bailey Ridge and Pioneer Drive on Friday morning.
"To be going normal speed and not slow down at all is kind of crazy," said Don Klein, father of the 14 year old victim. "It's just a miracle that he survived it."
Klein says the 24 year old driver's suburban clipped his son's back tire as he rode through the crosswalk to get to the bike path, throwing him more than 30 feet.
"He's got some bleeding on the brain," Klein said. "He's got some bruising on the lungs and liver and one of the kidneys, but right now the main thing is fixing the femur, the broken femur. He doesn't remember what happened but he knows who we are. He's very, very alert, which is a great sign."
Authorities say the driver, a 24-year-old woman from Stillwater, said she was typing an address into her phone's mapping app at the time of the crash.
"She was really upset. She was upset with herself for making the poor decision," said officer Susan Banick, who responded to the scene. "Accidents like this are completely preventable. If you put your phone away and you're not looking at it people don't have to get hurt."
Charges are pending until the extent of the teen's injuries are confirmed.
"In general, people should just not be texting while they're driving," Klein said. "This is people's lives. He's lucky to be alive."
