A 9-year-old boy who was paralyzed from the neck down after a car struck him outside his school in D.C. in December has died, his family says.
Kaidyn Green was struck by a Nissan sedan near KIPP DC Honor Academy on Wheeler Road SE on the afternoon of Dec. 10.
Green suffered critical injuries and was hospitalized for months after the crash. He was permanently paralyzed from the neck down and had recently returned home to family after going through intensive rehabilitation, the family's attorney Keith Watters said in a statement.
He died on Thursday at home, the statement said.
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"The family wishes to express its appreciation to all the doctors and medical staff who provided outstanding care to Kaidyn. He was an exceptionally good-hearted child who always smiled despite his critical medical condition," Watters said. "The family wishes to thank all who provided them with their love and support during this very painful and difficult time."
Green had left school before dismissal on Dec. 10 and was trying to cross the road by himself when he was struck, police said. He was not in a crosswalk, police said.
The driver involved remained on the scene after the crash.
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Days after the crash, the family called into question who let Green out of the school and how he ended up in the street without an adult with him.
"We don't know how this happened, but children are supervised. They just don't walk the halls. They just don't walk outdoors. So we would love to know what the school administrators and staff were doing," Watters said.
The family believed once Kaidyn was outside, he saw his mother's car parked across the street and went toward it. As he did, the car struck him.
During the crash, Kaidyn's mother was inside the school's office waiting for someone to bring her son to her for an early dismissal.
"She immediately looked out and realized what had happened and she lost it, really. It was very traumatic for her," Watters said.
Crossing guards and D.C. police are normally present for dismissal at 4 p.m.
The scene is just two blocks from where a driver struck and injured a father and his two little girls on “Walk to School Day” last October.
