Boy, 8, welcomed back to Pacoima school after hit-and-run

PACOIMA, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A young Pacoima boy was welcomed back to school several months after he was seriously injured in a hit-and-run.

Joshua Casillas spent his summer in the hospital recovering from a number of surgeries.

On May 15, he and his grandfather were walking home from Montague Charter Academy when they were struck by a hit-and-run driver.

Joshua, now 8, spent weeks in the hospital undergoing several surgeries and he had to have his leg amputated.

His mother asked him if he wanted to be home-schooled as he continued to recover.

"He said "No I want to go back to school, I want to be with my friends. I love my school,'" said his mother, Sandra Lemus.

He was given a hero's welcome as he returned to school. Some of the same firefighters who helped him that day brought him back to school in a fire truck as his classmates greeted him outside with cheers and signs.

He was all smiles as he returned to school.

"His eyes went bigger, his smile got bigger. He likes to be the center of attention," said his mother.

Ultimately, she said, she's grateful for how the Pacoima community rallied around her son.

"They care about us and that Joshua feels he's being cared for by other people that prayed for him and that makes him stronger."