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Doctors Say Boy Who Was Dragged By Truck Will Likely Need Wheelchair

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - The mother of a Westminster boy who was struck and dragged by a pickup truck while riding his tricycle says she's thankful her son is still alive.

Rylie Carbonneau, 7, was dragged after his tricycle was caught under the wheels of the truck on Monday night. His mother says he now has a long road to recovery.

Carbonneau's doctors at Children's Hospital in Aurora say they don't expect him to be out of the hospital for a while and that after he goes home he'll likely need a wheelchair because of the extent of injuries to his legs.

"Just seeing him not be able to get up and play, he can't do the things he likes to do. It's just heartbreaking. Sorry, it really is," Carbonneau's mother Nicole told CBS4 by phone on Saturday.

Nicole fought back tears as she described how her son was riding in the cul-de-sac near their home when the collision happened.

"He knows when the street lights come on he's in the house and he was on his way home. He was about three or four houses from my house when this happened," she said.

Martin Cardona-Avila, 48, has been charged with careless driving causing bodily injury in the incident in the case. Police said his truck came to a complete stop for about two seconds at a stop sign at just after 7 p.m. and just moments before the accident.

Cardona-Avila told CBS4 earlier this week that he never saw Carbonneau, and that he's extremely sorry about what happened.

Carbonneau's mother understands the crash was an accident.

"I've gone over in my head a thousand times what I could have done. What should I have done? I know there's nothing I could have done to prevent it. It was an accident," Nicole said. "And we look at it this way: he's still alive."

Rylie's parents expect to have to modify their home to make it wheelchair-accesible on top of costly medical expenses. They have set up a fund under his name at Wells Fargo Bank for donations.

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