A 42-year-old Kent man and new father remained hospitalized three weeks after he was paralyzed by a hit-and-run driver while riding his motorcycle.
Herman Webster remained in satisfactory condition Aug. 9 at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
Marci Borron, who had a baby girl with Webster about four months ago, said her partner is paralyzed from the waist down after a July 28 collision with a vehicle in Kent.
“His spine and spinal cord are not repairable,” Borron wrote on a gofundme.com account set up by a friend. “The fractured pieces of his spine tore his spinal cord completely. He had surgery where they put rods and screws in to help stabilize the spine, but his spinal cord will never heal. …Herman has lost all sensation and muscle control from about his belly button down. It is not expected for him to be able to walk again.”
Webster was on his motorcycle at about 1:43 a.m. July 28 near Mill Creek Middle School when a vehicle reportedly ran a red light and hit him near the intersection of East James Street and Central Avenue North, according to Kent Police. Webster was eastbound on James Street.
The driver that hit Webster fled the scene.
“No suspect has been identified at this time,” said Assistant Police Chief Jarod Kasner in an email. “The traffic investigators are examining the evidence and seeking out information — in hopes of identifying a suspect.”
Kasner said police are looking for help to identify the suspect.
If anyone has information about the accident or saw something while they were in the area at that time, they are encouraged to call the Kent Police tipline at 253-856-5808 or email KPDTIPS@kentwa.gov, Kasner said.
In addition to the gofundme.com account, friends set up a Facebook account to raise money for the family to help pay for medical expenses. As of Aug. 10, the gofundme.com account had raised $8,359 of a $20,000 goal while $3,920 had been raised with a goal of $5,000 on Facebook.
Borron posted an update Aug. 9 about Webster on gofundme.com.
“Today with therapy he sat up unsupported and began learning how to shift his weight,” she said. “Tomorrow he will be fitted for a wheelchair, which he can request to be in whenever he wants. He will start being allowed to take short field trips around the hospital. This is all great progress for getting into rehab sooner.
“The plan and focus moving forward is to get his lungs a little stronger, get the blood clot gone and to increase his tolerance for therapy. They have begun talking to Herman about transitioning to inpatient rehab, but are not sure exactly when that will happen as of yet. His stay in inpatient should be about three weeks (hopefully less).”
In an earlier post, Borron described what Webster can still do.
“He is able to move his arms and hands, head and neck,” she said. “There is no brain damage and his heart and lungs are doing great. While this is absolute tragic for our family, there are many things we are finding to be grateful for, number one being that he is still here with us today.
“Herman will be able to hold our daughter, Morgan, and be able to watch her grow. He still has his memory and his personality. Occupational therapy is very optimistic that he will be able to do most of what he needs to do independently. We will just have to learn a new way of life.”
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