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Boy home from hospital after being dragged by Winnebago
CORRECTION (5/20/08): This story incorrectly reported that 11-year-old Koby Lawson was cited by police after being hit by a Winnebago while riding his bike. Lawson was not cited in the accident.
Photo by Mark Leffingwell
Koby Lawson, 11, heals from his "road-rash" injuries and a broken ankle at his home in Boulder on Thursday. He was dragged about 90 feet by a Winnebago on Sunday.
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On a sunny Sunday afternoon, Travis Lawson got the call no parent wants to hear.
"He was at a friend's house, and his friend's father called and said, 'Koby was hit by an RV, and he's underneath it," Lawson said Thursday. "And I'm expecting to get a lot of pictures of my car in the mail because I ran every red light on the way there."
It wasn't as bad as the call sounded, though, to Lawson's relief. Even though his 11-year-old son was trapped beneath a Winnebago at the corner of Quince Avenue and 19th Street in Boulder on Sunday and had been dragged about 90 feet, his injuries were remarkably less severe than they could have been.
Koby Lawson has a fractured ankle and a nasty case of road rash, but he can walk and was able to go home Wednesday night after a four-day stay at Boulder Community Hospital.
“I was happy to be home,” said Koby, a fifth-grader at Crest View Elementary School.
According to an accident report from the Boulder Police Department, Koby was bicycling eastbound on Quince Avenue and failed to stop at a stop sign. He rode his bike in front of the Winnebago, driven northbound by Kenneth Kinchelde, of Boulder, and the two collided.
“I looked both ways and I didn’t see anything,” said Koby, who was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. “Then the Winnebago appeared out of nowhere.”
Koby was the only person cited — for an improper left turn — but that didn’t matter much to Kinchelde. The 65-year-old man was just happy to hear Koby was home and in good spirits.
“I was pretty shook up about it. I still feel pretty bad about what happened to him,” Kinchelde said Thursday. “But there wasn’t anything I could do. I didn’t have a chance to stop.”
Witnesses said Kinchelde couldn’t have avoided Koby.
“There’s no way he could have seen the kid,” Kris Rainsberger said Sunday at the scene.
Koby has the equivalent of second-degree burns on his back, his father said, after being dragged beneath the vehicle. Emergency medical technicians at the scene told the family Koby was bent in half, but they were able to lift the vehicle off him within four minutes of arriving.
“I definitely credit the EMTs for what they did,” his father said. “They got there within four minutes of the 911 call.”
Koby hasn’t been able to go back to school, but he did receive several visits from friends at the hospital. He may be able to go back before the school year ends, he said.
He was riding a BMX-style Mongoose bike during the accident, and he also skateboards. He said he’s looking forward to doing both again, even after his “scary” experience.
“He was in shock and pretty tattered when they pulled him up, from what they told us,” his dad said. “We feel pretty fortunate.”
Posted by xyz on May 15, 2008 at 10:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
“And I’m expecting to get a lot of pictures of my car in the mail because I ran every red light on the way there.”
...
According to an accident report from the Boulder Police Department, Koby was eastbound on Quince Avenue and failed to stop at the stop sign. He rode his bike in front of the Winnebago, driven northbound by Kenneth Kinchelde, of Boulder, and the two collided.
“I looked both ways and I didn’t see anything,” said Koby, who was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. “Then the Winnebago appeared out of nowhere.”
...
Posted by meatpieandtatters on May 15, 2008 at 10:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
His new nickname is "Winnie."
Posted by david on May 15, 2008 at 10:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is such good news. It is wonderful to hear he is fine.
Posted by boulderbikerfan1 on May 16, 2008 at 7:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am sure that this dad has a pretty good chance of getting any red-light tickets tossed out...good to hear that the young man is home and recovering.
Posted by gsegiet on May 16, 2008 at 7:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's see, the kid got hit by an RV because he blew a stop sign. So the father responds by blowing through several red lights. I'm glad the kid is all right. I'm also glad the father didn't kill or injure anyone else when he was blowing through those lights. I'm hoping he was exaggerating and at least slowed down at the lights.
Posted by cicatryx on May 16, 2008 at 7:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
xyz - What is your point?
Posted by Spudnik on May 16, 2008 at 8:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
There is too much irony in Travis' running every red light to get to the boy, Winnie, who ran a stop sign and was trapped underneath a Bago.
Posted by sidd on May 16, 2008 at 8:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Scary…
I’m glad he is alright.
Posted by jgarcia on May 16, 2008 at 8:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am grateful for guardian angels. Very happy he is doing well.
Posted by UncleEthan on May 16, 2008 at 9:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by jgarcia: "I am grateful for guardian angels."
You should probably be more grateful for the fact that he was hit by a Winnebago with significant ground clearance rather than an '83 Oldsmobile.
And, I'm just curious. Why did the guardian angels wait to spring into action after the kid was hit. Shouldn't they have seen the RV coming and whisked the kid out of the way? Maybe they were union angels and were on their mandated break.
Posted by jwood_jw on May 16, 2008 at 9:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I know Kobe...will see you soon, kiddo! VERY GLAD you survived and are AOK!!! See you and your parents soon!
Posted by UncleEthan on May 16, 2008 at 9:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by jwood_jw: "I know Kobe...will see you soon, kiddo! VERY GLAD you survived and are AOK!!! See you and your parents soon!"
When you go visit, be sure to stop at the stop signs and don't run any red lights.
Posted by jwood_jw on May 16, 2008 at 9:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ok...UncleEthan...I'll just drive through your home instead! ;-)
Posted by metoo on May 16, 2008 at 9:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"I ran every red light on the way there."
The acorn didn't fall far from the tree here.
Posted by native on May 16, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Perhaps a haircut would help the lad see stop signs in the future. I'm glad he's OK.
Posted by UncleEthan on May 16, 2008 at 10:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by jwood_jw: ".UncleEthan...I'll just drive through your home instead! ;-)"
Not a problem so long as you have insurance and a kevlar vest.
Posted by jrmanville on May 16, 2008 at 10:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
“Then the Winnebago appeared out of nowhere.”
Pretty neat trick. I guess David Copperfield must be in town.
Posted by jgarcia on May 16, 2008 at 11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Herb_Lackbooty and UncleEthan,
Never mind the topic of this post is to tell the fact that the boy is doing well, you need to post sardonic comments on a personal belief.
Whatever anthropocentric abstraction I use to rationalize my perception of the existence of a complex, random sequence that led to this fortuitous event, is no matter for you to cavil.
Posted by UncleEthan on May 16, 2008 at 11:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by jgarcia: "Herb_Lackbooty and UncleEthan,Never mind the topic of this post is to tell the fact that the boy is doing well, you need to post sardonic comments...."
Thanks, Jerry. I was also hoping to be sarcastic and cynical.
Posted by jgarcia on May 16, 2008 at 11:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
UncleEthan,
It suffices to say there is no harm in subscribing to Pascal's wager.
Perhaps is more succinctly stated by Carl Jung:
“We shouldn’t pretend to understand the world only by intellect. We apprehend it just as much by feeling. Therefore, the judgment of the intellect is, at best, only half of truth… and must, if it be honest, come to an understanding of its own inadequacy.”
Posted by UncleEthan on May 16, 2008 at 12:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by jgarcia: "Perhaps is more succinctly stated by Carl Jung:...."
Or, as Grace Slick so eloquently stated: "Up against the wall motherf****r."
Posted by jbird on May 16, 2008 at 1:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Herb, I would posit that this thread it is most succinctly stated by Kansas. All we are is dust in the wind.
Now pass the bong.
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