Zach Michaels was left for dead when he was hit by a grey Honda Civic just days before Christmas
Zach Michaels, 15, recovering in hospital
The mum of a schoolboy who had his leg amputated following a hit-and-run has issued an update on the devastating incident. Zach Michaels was riding his bike home on Sunday, December 22, at around 6.25pm along Bracknell Avenue outside Kirkby High School when he was hit by a car his mum claims was driving at around 70mph.
The driver drove off without stopping, leaving the 15-year-old “broken” in the middle of the road. Passers-by rushed to the aid of Zach who managed to get the address of his grandma, Irene Martin, 70, from him before rushing to her house. She then rang his mum, Maria Daniels, who was watching television with her partner at home.
Maria told the ECHO how she rushed to the scene of the crash where her son had suffered several open fractures and other serious injuries while they waited for an air ambulance to arrive at the scene. The crew proceeded to “pull his bones into place” while he lay on the road to stabilise him before transporting him to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital due to the severity of the injuries suffered in the hit-and-run.
Zach underwent seven surgeries in seven days culminating in his right leg being amputated above the knee. This came after blood supply had been cut off from the foot, the 43-year-old nurse explained, with two failed bypasses of major veins from his legs to his foot being done in the days prior. “It just got to a point where that leg had no blood supply,” Maria said.
“Eventually the doctors said: ‘We’ve tried everything we can, and we’re going to have to amputate.’ It was absolutely heartbreaking. I’ve never done anything in my life as hard as signing that consent form – but he would’ve died if I hadn’t.”
Two days on from the operation on Sunday, December 29, Zach was taken off his ventilator and began to regain consciousness. His parents waited until he was lucid to explain to him about his leg. When Maria and ex-partner Chris Farr, 39, told Zach about the amputation, he began “begging for his leg back.”
Zach Michaels was seriously injured when he was hit by a Honda Civic on December 22(Image: Maria Michaels)
She said: “He was begging us for his leg back, and begging to come home. He said: ‘Please, please, I don’t want to be here.’ It wasn’t until yesterday [January 4], that this brave boy asked to see his leg for the first time.
“He looked at the stump, and he had a cry. But later on, he said: ‘Right, I’m just going to do this and get on with it,’ just like the old Zach.”
It is still unclear how long Zach will remain in hospital, but in an update on his condition, Maria told the ECHO: “He’s doing well, he’s fully awake and aware of all of his injuries he had a bad time coming off all the medication because he was on such high doses for over a week but the staff have been amazing helping him through it. Today physio got him out of bed into a special chair just for 30 minutes but it really made his day.”
As well as rehabilitation on his right leg, Zach may need to learn how to grip with his left wrist again, due to tendon damage. His aunt, Shemina Wright, has set up a JustGiving page for his recovery.
Zach Michaels with mum Maria(Image: Maria Michaels)
The crowdfunder has raised £6,823 at the time of writing – and will be donated towards accessibility equipment for when he is discharged. To read more or donate, click here.
Merseyside Police confirmed no arrests have been made since the incident but the force made an appeal for information regarding a silver Honda Civic. The car, which displayed a 70 plate, failed to stop following the crash and is believed to have made off in the general direction of Bewley Drive and then towards Valley Road. Enquiries remain ongoing to locate the car and the driver involved, police said.
Detective Sergeant Simon Duffy from our Matrix Serious Collision Investigation Unit appealed to the driver to think about Zach’s family and to come forward. Merseyside Police has also issued pictures of a grey Honda Civic.
In a statement, he said: “This was a shocking incident which has left a teenage boy with injuries which will impact him for the rest of his life. It is incomprehensible to think that anyone could even consider driving away and leaving the boy with such catastrophic injuries.
An image of a grey Honda Civic(Image: Merseyside Police)
“We remain committed to tracking that person down and anyone who may have assisted following the collision. Our enquiries remain ongoing, and I would make an appeal directly to the driver of the car to consider the feelings of the boy and his family and come forward before we locate you.”
If you have any information that can help, please contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on (0151) 777 5747, or email SCIU@merseyside.police.uk. Alternatively, you can tell police anonymously via @CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111, quoting reference 24001073245.