A 13-year-old Iowa boy died 10 days after getting hit by an SUV while sledding near his home, according to police and family.
Adam McWherter’s snow day turned tragic when he errantly zipped down his Anamosa driveway into the roadway on Jan. 10 while sledding with a buddy, authorities said, according to reports.
The pal, 11, noticed the approaching car and bailed from his sled, but didn’t get the attention of McWherter to also stop quickly enough, according to a police report obtained by the Gazette.
“(The 11-year-old) did not think McWherter saw the car until McWherter made it to about 10-15 feet away from the end of the driveway, and he put his hands down to stop,” according to the police docs.
While the driver of a GMC Envoy slammed on the brakes, the vehicle couldn’t stop before striking the preteen, police said.
“He was not alone and received care very quickly but was instantly knocked unconscious. His pulse was faint and did fade away,” a friend of the boy’s mother said in a GoFundMe page. “Paramedics were able to get his heart restarted after about 20 minutes with him in the ambulance at the base of our driveway.”
McWherter was taken to the hospital with a broken clavicle, pelvic bone fracture, spinal fracture and strained ligament in his neck, the family friend said.
Hooked to a ventilator, he also suffered a little bleeding in his skull and some blood in his lungs while dealing with a few small seizures, the fundraising page stated.
The 7th grader was pronounced dead on Saturday, police said, according to the Kansas City Star.
McWherter and his friend were racing toward a bump in the snow near the bottom of the hill, the friend told police, according to the docs obtained by the Gazette.
They didn’t plan on going all the way to the road because it was too dangerous, the younger boy reportedly said.
The driver told Iowa State Patrol he didn’t see the boy rapidly approaching until it was too late, the Gazette reported, citing the police documents.
The SUV kept sliding following the collision and crashed into a ditch.
Police attempted to recreate the scene to see if the driver’s version of the events made sense.
One deputy with the Jones County Sheriff’s Office took a sled down the driveway as a state trooper took video from the road in his police pick-up truck, according to the police report.
McWherter enjoyed sports, the outdoors and was always up for an adventure, his obituary states.
“He loved his family and spending time with them. Adam enjoyed hearing old stories, learning from his grandparents and great-grandparents,” the obit states. “He adored his friends and enjoyed every second he could spend with them.”
No charges have been filed as the investigation continues.
