- A 7-year-old boy, Nathan Rees, is in a coma after an SUV accident.
- He suffered severe injuries, including head trauma and a broken jaw, requiring surgery.
- Family members started a GoFundMe* for financial support as recovery is expected to be long.
CEDAR CITY — A 7-year-old boy remains hospitalized in a medically induced coma after being pinned under an SUV that hit him while he was on a scooter Monday morning.
The boy, who was identified by family as Nathan Rees, was riding a scooter in a parking area in the 1100 North block of North Field Road about 8:20 a.m. He was headed to a bus stop when Cedar City police said a woman driving an SUV was backing out of a parking space and struck the child.
Nathan was initially taken to Cedar City Hospital, then later flown to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, where he remains.
Andrew Leavitt, the boy's uncle, told KSL that doctors have been working to get the swelling to go down on Nathan's brain from the accident.
"They've been working for the last couple days to just get him stable enough to do all the testing they need to do," he said. "I know that there's going to have to be some facial reconstruction surgery, and he's got a broken jaw that's going to need to be addressed, but he hasn't quite been stable enough for all of that."
Nathan suffered significant injuries, including head trauma, from the accident, according to Cedar City Police Sgt. Kirk Lovell. First responders had to extricate him from under the vehicle and began rendering lifesaving measures, including CPR, before he was taken to the hospital.
Nathan was scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday, and his family hopes to learn more about the extent of his injuries and potential next steps for his hopeful recovery.
Leavitt described his nephew as an energetic boy who loves Transformers and can easily make friends.
"He's a bundle of energy, like he's just a light in any room that he's in," he told KSL.
Leavitt said friends of Nathan have been reaching out to the family, asking how he is doing, hoping he'll pull through.
"We've been getting a lot of phone calls from their parents who are worried and from his best friends at school who just want to know he's OK," he said.
On Monday, the Iron County School District sent a letter to parents about the incident and the available resources for students who may have witnessed it.
"This morning, an East Elementary student was seriously injured in an accident near a school bus stop. At this time, very little confirmed information on the accident is available. Some students were already on the bus and may have witnessed the accident. Situations like this can be upsetting for students, even if they were not directly involved. We want you to know extra counseling is available at East Elementary to help students and staff. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the student's family and friends," the district said in a statement sent to KSL.
Leavitt said that Nathan's family was already dealing with financial stress, so he and his wife, Carrie, started a GoFundMe* to help ease the burden on the Rees family, as it'll likely be a long road to recovery.
"Anytime a parent has to face something like this, it's a devastating blow, and we just want to help lessen that blow for them," he said.
Cedar City police said the incident remains under investigation.
KSL reached out to the department for an update on Wednesday but did not get an immediate response.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
