ADEL – On Friday, November 30, 2018, a Cook High School student was struck by a vehicle while he was walking home.
Hunter Powell, 15, a freshman, was released from South Georgia Medical Center Saturday after being severely injured by a fellow classmate in a pickup truck.
His mother, Angie Pennington Powell, is currently taking him to South Carolina where she lives to oversee his recovery.
Hunter was leaving school, walking towards his father Jason Powell’s house located on Highway 37, following a side street off of Highway 37 students use to access the student parking lot, Josey Road. He walked between a pickup truck and a car while traffic was stopped. Another truck behind the two vehicles reportedly gunned it in an attempt to pass and struck Hunter, rolling over his left ankle.
According to Powell’s mother Angie, and Hunter, he was offered a ride first from the two boys in the pickup truck before he was struck but he declined. The two boys in the truck were witnesses and said the truck behind them ran over Hunter’s ankle.
“I’m assuming the guy stopped but the two people who witnessed the whole thing said truck ran over Hunter’s ankle,” Hunter’s mother Angie said Sunday while the two were headed to her South Carolina home. “The two boys in pickup truck got out and went to his aid. He was unconscious for about eight minutes and came to right before the EMTs arrived.”
Hunter was transported to SGMC where he had a CT scan done to rule out brain damage, only a severe concussion.
“He broke his left leg and crushed his left ankle,” Angie said. “They did surgery Friday night on the leg and ankle, went in and placed a rod and pins in it to stabilize it until healing begins. All the swelling has to go down before they can go in and repair it. He’s looking at a couple more surgeries.”
The tissue and muscle in the left leg is damaged.
“He landed on his head and face, lacerations on his nose forehead and face, broke three top front teeth,” his mother reported. “He will be staying with me until his next appointment with the orthopedic surgeon when they will evaluate what the next steps will be. He’s been in a lot of pain, can’t see out of left eye, which is swollen and black where lacerations are. He has a big knot on his forehead, abrasions all the way down from forehead to his Adam’s Apple, has road rash, down his leg, and the only part of his body that doesn’t are his arms and torso. He figures that’s because he had a jacket on.”
With all the accidents with school bus stops and buses this year, this is yet another reminder of how important it is to be careful around school crossings.
“About four years ago when my other son was a senior at CHS, he got rear-ended pretty much at same spot where Hunter was hit,” Angie said. “It totaled out three vehicles. I went to school to discuss what could be done then to slow these kids down, but was told there was nothing they could do because it’s a county road. His father and I want to see something happen to slow down student drivers leaving the school.”
At the time of writing it is not known if the driver of the truck has been charged. The story is developing.
