San Jose teenager remains in coma after being struck by car

Bay City News
Thursday, September 24, 2015

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A teenage boy is in a coma and on life support after he was struck by a car Wednesday afternoon outside Archbishop Mitty High School in West San Jose, the school's principal said.

The 14-year-old student, who is a freshman at the school, was taking a break from conditioning exercises at a park across the street from the school in preparation for the upcoming basketball season when he was struck by the car while making his way back to campus, principal Tim Brosnan said.

Shortly before 3:30 p.m., officers responded to a report of a pedestrian hit by a car in the 4900 block of Mitty Way, police Sgt. Enrique Garcia said.

A woman was driving a silver Ford Focus west on the road where she struck the boy as he ran across the street, Garcia said.

The boy was transported to a hospital with critical injuries, Garcia said.

Investigators do not suspect that speed, alcohol or drugs played a role in the collision, according to Garcia.

A prayer service for the boy was held Thursday morning at the school's gym, where a majority of students wore white to honor him, Brosnan said.

The service was "very sad and somber as you might expect" and many students are "devastated" by the accident, Brosnan said.

There are nine full-time counselors providing support for students, who have also been filling the school's chapel every period of the day, according to Brosnan.

Archbishop Mitty is a private Catholic high school that opened in 1964, according to its website.

Students have been writing messages to the boy's family on large butcher paper, Brosnan said.

Letters will be sent out to the students' families informing them of the collision, he said.

Police and school officials have not identified the student, but posts on social media identified him as Loukas Angelo.

Students and community members have posted on social media with #PrayForLoukas and asked for prayers for his friends and family.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call police Detective Kelvin Pham at (408) 277-4654.