Bridgeport teen hit by car returns home after month-long hospitalization
Police say 17-year-old Tristan Bouknight, an honor student at Kolby Cathedral High School, was thrown 10 feet after being hit by a car while crossing the street at a red light at Howard and Fairfield Avenue.
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It was a bittersweet homecoming in Bridgeport on Monday for a high school senior who spent a month in the hospital after being hit by a car while crossing the street.
Police say 17-year-old Tristan Bouknight, an honor student at Kolby Cathedral High School, was thrown 10 feet after being hit by a car while crossing the street at a red light at Howard and Fairfield Avenue in May.
Bouknight suffered multiple injuries, including a brain bleed, a collapsed lung, as well as a broken femur, collarbone and pelvis.
His mother told News 12 that doctors at Yale New Haven Hospital said it was a miracle her son survived.
"Going there, seeing my baby’s face this big, head swollen, strapped down to the bed. That hurts a mother; that really hurts a mother," said Shiomi Bouknight, the teen’s mother.
"I've had to, like, delay going to college from August to spring. So, I just really hope that I make a full recovery," said Tristan Bouknight.
He had to attend his graduation virtually from his hospital room.
Bouknight will attend Eastern Connecticut State University on a full scholarship to study biochemistry.
The family's attorney, Dennis Bradley, said medical records show Bouknight almost died from his injuries.
"But he is now suffering with severe trauma because of the negligence and carelessness of one individual who wanted to smoke and not pay attention on the roadways," said Bradley.
Bridgeport police said they're still investigating the accident and that the driver did stop and cooperate.
This year, there have been dozens of pedestrian accidents in Bridgeport, including one fatal.
City officials are now making plans to make the city safer for pedestrians.
Members of the Bridgeport City Council said they're pushing for more state and federal funding to install more lights and lanes as a way of getting drivers to slow down.
The family has created a GoFundMe to cover continued recovery expenses for Bouknight.
