WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A 7-year-old boy remains in a coma after he was struck by a vehicle while walking to school in West Valley City with his sister.
Michael Jetnil was hit last Wednesday morning near 3100 South and 4100 West when police said a driver was making a right turn. The unidentified driver had stopped at the stop sign and looked for traffic, but didn't see Michael crossing in front of the car.
Michael's mother, Bensay Joseph, said her son underwent surgery to repair liver damage following the incident, and is still in a coma.
"Very energetic, he just makes everyone happy, he's loving," Joseph said of Michael.
Joseph shared how she and her son almost always walk to school together, saying, "When he walks, I walk with him."
On the morning of the accident, however, Michael left the house earlier with his older sister while his mother was still getting ready to join them. But before she could leave, police were already at her door.
“I didn’t know they left without me; they never do,” Joseph explained.
Following the accident, the Granite School District said it is providing crisis counseling for students or staff who need support.
"Our hearts are with this student and his family as he continues to recover from this tragic traffic accident," the district said in a statement.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, and police said the driver, who has been cooperative and was not impaired, could be cited for improper lookout, even though Michael is alleged to have run out in front of the vehicle.
Joseph, a single mother with 5 other children at home, has set up a GoFundMe to ask for support while she is at the hospital with Michael.
"Our house is so empty without him because he's our joy," she said. "Without Michael here, it's not the same.
"I feel so incomplete without my son right now."
