Community Corner

UPDATED: Fridley Boy Injured in Bike-Car Crash Gives Thumbs Up

Parents report progress as Roman Kotas slowly awakens.

Updated below. The 13-year-old Fridley boy who suffered severe head trauma in a on Mississippi Street NE is responding to doctors at Hennepin County Medical Center as they until this week. 

That's the report from Roman Kotas' parents in journal entries at a new Caring Bridge website. From Wednesday's entry: 

Today, he spent large amounts of time with his eyes open (OK, let's call it half-opened), quite clearly reacting to our voices and responding to simple commands (e.g., the neurosurgeons asked him to open his eyes; when he did, they asked him to give them a thumbs-up; he kindly obliged). His arms and legs are mobile (and in the right ways), as is his head and other parts of the body. The occupational therapist said she may, tomorrow, try sitting him up with his feet down to the floor. ...

Find out what's happening in Fridleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We can begin to see in [his] face and body how disorienting and uncomfortable this awakening can be. But it's a lively reponse, and that's a tremendous upside. It certainly looks like, in a day or two, we will start spending nights at the hospital to be present when he needs us, if only for reassurance and encouragement.

The Caring Bridge site also has a guestbook page for messages to Roman Kotas and his family.

Find out what's happening in Fridleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Thursday marks two weeks since the crash, which an intial assessment did not blame on the driver. A report from a Minnesota State Patrol investigation is pending.

Update (3 p.m. Thursday): An update from the Caring Bridge journal logs further improvements. Here's an excerpt:

He can now help the nurses turn him from one side to the other by shifting his body, He can move his legs around (though the one with the fracture still has a heavy set of spiky pins on it that looks like some kind of a medieval weapon). He turns his face in the direction of our voices and can readily raise either arm. When asked by a nurse this mornining whether he was in pain, he shook his head no. When his mom was talking to him, he moved his lips, as if attempting to respond. ...

David Hirshman, the pediatric I.C.U. doctor who was here when Roman first arrived, said today that Roman is doing things they were expecting him to do at best a week or two from now. It's a pleasure to share this with you -- and I trust Roman won't mind if I call it his way of thanking you for rooting for him.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Fridley