A man suspected in a hit-and-run crash that left an 11-year-old boy with a broken leg as he left Georgia Tech’s season-opening football game turned himself in Friday.
Lavar C. Clinton, 38, surrendered to Atlanta police on a charge related to the Sept. 5 crash after “an aggressive and thorough investigation,” the police department said in a news release. Clinton is facing a single count of hit-and-run, police said.
Kaine Chastain, the 11-year-old pedestrian injured in the crash, was taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston Hospital with a broken leg that required surgery, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help cover his medical expenses. His father, Jonathan Chastain, wrote in an update to the fundraising page that Kaine was released from the hospital two days later after beginning physical therapy. His recovery is expected to last six months.
A crash report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Kaine ran ahead of his family as they crossed Northside Drive and did not have the right-of-way. A black sedan was going through a yellow light, but a group of pedestrians had already started to cross the busy road near Mercedes-Benz Stadium, according to the report. Kaine’s father and 7-year-old sister were behind him and witnessed the crash.
Jonathan Chastain said he and his children have been traumatized by the ordeal.
“Both kids will need therapy from what happened,” he said on the GoFundMe page. “Physical healing will not be all that we have to deal with. There will be emotional and mental healing for all three of us.”
Credit: GoFundMe
Credit: GoFundMe
Chastain, a single father, effusively thanked everyone who brought his family food and clothing at the hospital, as well as those who donated to the fundraiser. The GoFundMe has raised a little more than $12,000.
“One of the biggest worries anyone has in a situation like this is having a way to cover your medical bills and living expenses,” Chastain said. “This has helped greatly and eased that burden.”
Despite the traumatic experience, Chastain said he was relieved his son was alive. A prominent Georgia Tech fan known as the GT Viking, Chastain said he and his family planned to attend the Yellow Jackets’ second game of the season. Georgia Tech won handily Saturday over Western Carolina with the Chastain family in the crowd.
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