Kenosha County boy struck by projectile at recess, mom shares update
KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. - The mother of 6-year-old Alex Hook, hurt while playing at recess at Riverview Elementary School in Silver Lake on Friday morning, Sept. 10, shared an update on the boy's condition Tuesday.
In a video posted to the Alex Hook Support Page on Facebook, Alex's mom thanked the community for their prayers for her little boy, calling all of the support overwhelming and expressing her gratitude. She continued to ask for prayers for her son, indicating Alex developed a fever, and it was determined he has an infection, which is being treated with antibiotics.
Alex Hook is fighting for his life in a coma after being hit by a projectile that flew from a lawnmower.
"He's just a wonderful kid. A kid any parent would be proud to have. Now he's fighting for his life," Michelle Koertgen, Alex's aunt, told FOX6 News on Monday.
Credit: Hook family
The Kenosha County Sheriff's Department said it was possibly a rock that struck the boy – causing him to fall over and hit his head on a toy metal dump truck, before falling to the ground.
"They discovered he suffered a massive fracture to the back of his head," Koertgen said. "They did a craniotomy and took another hunk of his skull out to relieve any pressure."
Koergten set up a GoFundMe to help with medical bills and more. While the Hook family is learning details of the tragic playground accident, Koergten is frustrated that it happened.
"Safety around schools is imperative," Koertgen said. "As far as I'm concerned, this was avoidable. A 6-year-old boy is fighting for his life because of something stupid."
The school district was not able to share information about the incident.
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The company that cuts the median is contracted by the Village of Salem Lakes. The company said it has never had an incident like this before.
Koertgen said she started a fundraising page to pay for treatment not covered by insurance.
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