Indio mother asking for help and looking for answers after son is struck by driver
Tori King
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) — An Indio woman is looking for answers after her son, Caleb Garcia, was struck by a car while he was riding a bicycle.
The incident took place around 6:00 am on June 5th in Indio at Dr. Carreon Boulevard and Highway 111.
According to the Indio Police Department report, Garcia was hit by a car going eastbound as Garcia was attempting to cross Highway 111. The particular area where Garcia tried to cross does not have a crosswalk. The driver remained at the scene and was interrogated police officers, but was later released. “My son has a very long road to recovery,” said Michele Garcia, Caleb’s mother. “As of today he still is on ventilator and has no mobility of his lower extremities. This accident, has changed my sons life extremely.”
According to Garcia, Caleb had several operations at Desert Regional Medical Center following the accident, and was fighting for his life. Caleb suffered from several broken bones, a broken neck, three fractured vertebrae, and so far, Caleb has had a tracheostomy with a ventilator to help him breathe, a permanent pacemaker put in, and he is unable to communicate or move.
“Caleb is unable to speak, but able to get attention from family and nurses by clicking his tongue and mouthing his words,” said Garcia. “As of today, Caleb still does not have any movement in his hands are arms, he feels slight sensation with no mobility. Caleb is able to rock his leg once in awhile but doctors have informed us that they believe he will be paralyzed from waist down. Last Wednesday and Friday he went into cardiac arrest and nurses saved my son. I received call from the nurses that Caleb’s heart was dropping and was erratic through the night. Today, Caleb is having a pacemaker put in for his heart.”
He has since been moved to Kindred Long term acute care, where he continues to recover. The center is two hours away from Indio, and Caleb’s family is now paying out of pocket for hotel rooms to visit him throughout the week, causing a huge financial strain. Garcia and her family have started a GoFundMe page to help pay for the medical and travel costs.
The investigation into what caused the crash is still underway. Stay with News Channel 3 for updates.