A 7-year-old boy has undergone brain surgery and has a “long road to recovery” after he was struck by an SUV and critically injured while riding a dirt bike near McHenry.
The McHenry Township Fire Protection District and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 9:50 a.m. Wednesday to the 5200 block of North Lake Street in unincorporated McHenry for a vehicle crash.
A 911 caller reported a child riding a bike had been struck by a vehicle and was possibly not breathing.
Emergency crews arrived to find a juvenile who was lying in the roadway and not responsive.
The sheriff’s office confirmed the crash involved an SUV and the child, who had been riding a Razor MX350 dirt bike.
A LifeNet medical helicopter was requested to the incident due to the child’s injuries, according to McHenry Township Fire Protection District Battalion Chief David Harwood.
An ambulance transported the victim to the Johnsburg High School where a landing zone had been set up in the parking lot.
The helicopter landed a short time later and the child, who suffered critical injuries, was transferred to the helicopter.
Harwood said the helicopter flew the juvenile to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, which is a Level 1 trauma center and has a children’s hospital.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Traffic Crash Investigation Unit responded and deputies had set up caution tape around the crash scene at North Lake Street and West Pleasant View Drive as the unit investigated throughout the morning into the afternoon.
McHenry resident JD Sylvanus, who is a family friend of the victim, said the 7-year-old boy, Alex Moscrip, is a student in the Johnsburg School District and was struck by the vehicle while near his home.
Sylvanus said that Moscrip underwent brain surgery on Wednesday and will require another surgery in the future, as well as physical therapy.
The neurosurgeon reported that progress is “looking good” and the first surgery went well, Sylvanus said.
Sylvanus added that Moscrip has a “long road to recovery. He created a GoFundMe account to help raise money for the family.