15-year-old injured in deadly crash outside Westlake HS faces long recovery
"I don't think he's been able to grasp what really has occurred to him," said the boy's mother.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE (KABC) -- Life for 15-year-old Blase Anderson hasn't been the same since April 18.
That afternoon, the unthinkable happened.
A driver rammed his car into a group of students as they waited at a bus stop outside Westlake High School - and he has since been accused of doing it intentionally.
Blase was one of three students struck by the driver and a fourth student - 15-year-old Wesley Welling - was killed.
"He hasn't asked why this happened to him," said Blase's mother, Jessica Anderson.
She said it's been difficult for her son to talk about it.
"I don't think he's been able to grasp what really has occurred to him. People have asked him, 'What did you feel like when that car was coming toward you?' and he said, 'I didn't have time to even respond,' so he said he was the first to be hit. You know, he's looking down at his phone."
Though they initially hesitated, Blase's family created a GoFundMe to help with the teen's medical bills.
He tore all four ligaments in one of his knees and suffered a fractured tibia. He's being treated at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
His GoFundMe says his surgery date is June 5 and will take at least 9 months to recover.
The teen's mother said insurance will cover some of the bills, but a lot of what Blase needs, like rehabilitation services, won't be covered.
As of Wednesday, the family has received more than $40,000 in donations through the GoFundMe.
"Originally, we actually weren't going to do that," said Anderson. "We thought this was going to be a 4-6 week thing. My husband and I ... we can do this. Financially, we can do it. I have great insurance but a lot of the stuff that we're doing is out of network."
Anderson, who works as a nurse, said it's been hard to work and properly care for her son.
She said her husband continues to run their family business but said she needs to return to her hospital soon.
For now, the family is taking it one day at a time.
Meanwhile, the driver accused of causing the crash - 24-year-old Austin Eis of Camarillo - was charged with murder and other counts in a series of alleged crimes that culminated with the crash.
When asked about speaking to the driver accused, Anderson doesn't think it'll do much.
"We feel like it's not going to change what has occurred. So where will it get us, asking him those questions? And if he's really not mentally there, how will that really get anywhere?"
