Lafayette mom speaks following hit-and-run that injured her son

It's been nearly two weeks since an unimaginable incident changed Heather Dragon Graham and the rest of her family's life.

"What happened here is horrible and it's devastating to our entire community," said Heather. "And it didn't have to happen."

The Lafayette family was still reeling from the news that one of their neighbors' daughters was struck by a car crossing the crosswalk on Baseline Road at King Street. The incident happened on Sept. 5 at around 4 p.m.

"That night we found out about her, it just devastated us," said Heather.

Less than 24 hours later, her son, 16-year-old Myers Graham, was also struck at another crosswalk less than a quarter mile away at Roser Drive.

"A group of them always ride their bikes together to Centaurus [High School], and Myers just happened to be in front of the pack," she said. "They had their helmets on. They were pushing the button that flashes the lights. They did what they were supposed to do, and this is what happened."

Heather says her son is a loving, friendly and inspirational kid who loved play all kids of sports.

"He's just a wonderful boy, and I know a lot of people who think the same thing," she said. "He loves basketball, he did wrestling, which was pretty fun. He loves skiing, [and he] just took up golf."

However, now her son is facing a new challenge as he recovers in the hospital from a traumatic brain injury.

"They did have to take out his spleen and later on they found out he separated and fractured his clavicle, but with his traumatic brain injury, it's just going to take a lot of time and a lot of rehab," said Heather.

While both crosswalks -- where the juvenile girl was hit and where Myers Graham was hit -- have a button that activates flashing yellow lights to stop cars, community members say it still hasn't been enough to curb accidents on such a busy road.

"We know the danger of it, and we just can't let another child get hurt, let another person get hurt," said Katie Zaidel.

Zaidel, who was out Thursday afternoon at the Roser Drive crosswalk, was getting ready to help escort children across the crosswalk. It is something residents in the Indian Peaks community have been taking shifts doing in the morning before school and in the afternoon since these incidents occurred.

"We're just helping the kids cross the road," said Zaidel.

Residents who have since established the Indian Peaks Crosswalk Action Committee, which seeks changes on Baseline Road to protect all people crossing the street, say they plan to continue to take these precautionary measures into their own hands until city leaders to enact stronger safe measures.

"As long as it takes. I mean we need the kids to be able to get to and from school safely," said Zaidel.

Heather says she's grateful for the community's support, from crowdfunding to help her family during this difficult time and making sure more people do not get hurt the same way.

"Myers is loved deeply, and I could not ask for a better community," said Heather.

A woman who fled the scene after allegedly hitting Myers on the road is currently faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury and failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, according to Lafayette police.

The driver involved in the other incident remained on scene after the accident and received a citation. That case is also under investigation.