Cruickshank student returning to school after being hit by car, district says
After suffering major head injuries two months ago when a car crashed into his bike, Cruickshank Middle School student Alex Tovar is expected to return to school Monday.
District officials said in a news release Friday that Tovar has made “major progress” toward recovering from the crash.
The crash happened Sept. 19 at Paulson Road and Yosemite Avenue when the eighth-grade student was riding his bike through a crosswalk on his way to school. The teenager was struck by a 2017 Toyota Tacoma. Police said the “distraught” 50-year-old driver remained on scene and cooperated with investigators.
Neither drugs nor alcohol use were suspected, Merced police said at the time of the crash.
Tovar was flown to Valley Children’s Hospital for treatment.
Tovar is now able to walk, jog and eat on his own. He no longer feels any pain from his injuries, but wears an eye patch over his left eye on account of double vision, according to the news release.
If the double vision does not self-correct, Tovar will need a procedure.
Tovar attended a school assembly with his classmates Wednesday where motivational speaker Brent Poppen spoke about his spinal injury.
“Poppen explained to Alex’s classmates how lucky they are to have him returning to school and that they can do anything they put their mind to,” Joey Horta, a representative for the Merced City School District, said in the release.
While Tovar continues to recover, he will attend school for a few hours a day.
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 3:46 PM.
