GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Colin Rogers, the 17-year-old from Kent City who was dragged by a car, is making progress in his road to recovery, but his father says he still has a very long road ahead.
"I could have swore this morning, he was trying to mouth something to me, so that's super positive," said Clay Rogers.
He says his son's days are busy, with six hours of therapy to get him moving his fingers and hands, and they are seeing progress with more eye and head movements.
"We still have a noncoherent person in the ICU, but the significant increases of like yawning, and some, you know, some head movement...so these are all positive things."
Colin's family is still waiting, however, for certain signs that Colin will cognitively come back.
"He is physically getting better. I say that way, because psychologically, we don't know. There's not a lot of pupil dilation, which is generally something you want to see after 30 to 60 days. So somebody's been in the hospital for a serious brain injury, because it tells you that they're going to cognitively come back to you, and regretfully, we're not seeing that yet."
Colin was injured back in June in Kent city. He was trying to get his friend's vape pen back from some other teenagers. When he reached into their car, they took off, dragging him several feet.
Two teens involved are being charged as juveniles, and the driver is facing the following charges:
- Assault with Intent to do Great Bodily Harm Less Than Murder
- Reckless Driving Causing Serious Impairment Of A Body Function
- Unlawful Use of a Motor Vehicle
- Failure to Stop at the Scene of a Personal Injury Accident
- Operating without a License
Rogers says that this does not go far enough.
"Adult crimes deserve adult times. I'm not saying that these people should go to prison for the rest of their life, we would never want to do that to any child because we do make mistakes. But in this situation, they had over 32 seconds to think about that. Think about their actions."
Rogers says 32 seconds is how long his son was dragged. Now, they are pushing for new legislation, planning to march in Lansing on Thursday for what they hope will become Colin's Law.
"I can't get them to get tried as adults, but I can make sure that other criminals, like the ones who did this to Colin, are tried as adults, and that their parents are held responsible for their actions."
Colin continues to receive rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed. To assist with costs, the family is running a GoFundMe.
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