A South Jersey boy continues to recover both physically and emotionally several weeks after he and his friends were nearly killed by an alleged drunk driver as they were playing outside a home. The incident left him without several of his teeth.
Cody Bengel, 8, was playing with a 4-year-old girl, 15-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy outside a home on the dead end block of Chestnut Avenue in Woodbury Heights, New Jersey shortly before 8 p.m. back on April 21.
As they were playing they saw a pickup truck traveling down Chestnut Ave.
“I was hanging on to the back of the bike,” Cody Bengel said. “When I saw him coming I thought it was a joke.”
Cody and the three other kids got out of the street, waiting for the vehicle to pass. Police say the driver, identified as 48-year-old Hector Rios of Wenoah, swerved however and struck all four children before crashing into trees across the street.
“As soon as I landed I just sprinted to the house,” Cody said.
Officials say Rios’ foot remained on the accelerator after his vehicle came to a stop and a nearby resident had to break the passenger window to shut the truck off and get him out. He was arrested and charged with DUI causing serious bodily injury.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Cody and his friends were all hospitalized after the crash. While his friends only suffered bumps and bruises, Cody was the most seriously injured, suffering a concussion and several dislodged teeth.
The boy was eventually released from the hospital but still needs further treatment.
“The kids are afraid to go in the street now,” said Cody’s father Scott Bengel.
Bengel says insurance isn’t covering everything but the community is stepping up to help. They have created a “Teeth for Cody” GoFundMe page to help allay some of the cost.
