Charles Pantina of 75th Street collided with a 1997 Plymouth at 3:16 p.m. just yards from…
By Matthew Monks
A Glendale 11-year-old thrown from his bike and critically injured in a car crash Friday has been released from the hospital and is doing well, his parents said.
Charles Pantina of 75th Street collided with a 1997 Plymouth at 3:16 p.m. just yards from his home at the intersection of 78th Avenue and 75th Street, police said.
The boy was riding his bike north on 75th Street when he crossed paths with the Plymouth moving east along 78th avenue, police said. Witnesses said Charles landed on his head after they collided.
Police said he was taken to Jamaica Medical Center in critical condition.
He was later treated for head trauma at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan and released Tuesday, said Charles Pantina Sr., his father.
“He’s mobile. He’s walking. Actually he’s doing really well,” Pantina said at his home Tuesday, minutes after drawing his son a hot bath. “As far as I’m concerned, I consider it a miracle.”
He said his son’s spirits were up, and he hoped that Charles can soon return to the Sacred Heart School in Queens. He and his wife consider themselves lucky. Their son could have been more seriously injured, he said, as were the two 14-year-olds in a recent hit-and-run on Francis Lewis Boulevard in Fresh Meadows.
“He’s doing fine, thank God,” Pantina said.
He said his family stayed at Charles’ bedside while he was hospitalized and his son’s friends and neighbors have been extremely generous with their support.
“Everyone’s been calling. Everyone’s been praying,” he said. “All his friends came to the hospital and called on the phone.”
The accident gave him and one of his neighbors a real scare.
Zenaida Flores was at home Friday near the intersection when she heard a commotion just after the accident.
“When I heard screams, I looked out and I saw people running,” Flores said. Charles was face down on the pavement, and she said it was unclear if he was conscious.
“I just saw him move his legs once,” she said.
The accident reinforced her belief that more stop signs were needed along 78th Avenue, especially in front of IS 119, which is on the corner where Charles was hit.
“I think there should (be) because they go too quick,” Flores said. “There’s a lot of kids around here, especially with the school.”
Police did not identify the Plymouth driver and said that no criminal charges were pending against him.
Reach reporter Matthew Monks by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
