Central Florida teen’s e-bike crash underscores helmet’s lifesaving role
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —
On July 10, 14-year-old Jabari Hill was struck by a vehicle while riding his e-bike in Central Florida, leaving him with eight fractures, third-degree burns, and life-threatening injuries.
“When I got hit, I don’t remember anything after that. They said I was trying to get up, but I don’t remember that or being in the ambulance,” Hill said.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers said Hill attempted to cross at Conroy Windermere and Turkey Lake Road when a GMC Yukon, which had a green light, hit him while traveling eastbound. The vehicle struck the left side of Hill and the driver remained at the scene. Hill was taken to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.
“That picture you see is what I walked in and saw,” said Sarah Hill, Jabari’s mother. “Thank God he had his eyes open, but the rest of him was. I mean, he kept telling me, ‘Don’t cry, mom, don’t cry.'”
Sarah Hill said one thing made all the difference in saving her son’s life.
“He wore the helmet,” she said.
“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here today,” Jabari added.
Now, instead of enjoying his summer and preparing for another basketball season, Jabari is focused on healing one day at a time.
“It’s just, like, the mobility issue. It’s harder to move,” he said.
Sarah Hill said she is doing everything she can to support her son, but the financial burden has become overwhelming.
“He can’t start sports and we need aggressive, like, sports therapy and aggressive surgeries and dental work and a whole bunch of stuff that I can’t fathom the cost of, and we’re waiting on insurance to kind of help him,” she said.
As Jabari continues to recover, he said his goal is simple: “Just to be able to return back to normal day-to-day activities.”
Sarah Hill hopes her son’s story will encourage other kids to always wear their helmets.
“Yes, it’s not the coolest thing on earth, but, traumatic brain injuries; and in situations like this, your whole future’s ahead of you,” she said.