COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A family feels some relief knowing a suspected hit-and-run driver is charged with hurting an 8-year-old boy.
The driver surrendered in the crash that left the boy in a coma. The boy's grandmother told Channel 2's Audrey Washington he will open his eyes and make a full recovery.
“This is my baby, my grandchild," Raquel Young said when we spoke with her Sunday.
It’s still hard for her to talk about Essah Johnson, her 8-year-old grandson, who has been in a coma for several days now.
“He’s just a baby," she said.
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On Monday, a driver hit the boy as he crossed Olive Springs Road in Cobb County. The impact was so powerful that it sent the boy’s body flying through the air, before he hit the ground a few feet away.
The driver, according to witnesses, never even stopped.
For days, police searched for the person behind the wheel. Finally, late Saturday night, Lazaro Rodriguez turned himself in. He’s now charged with felony hit-and-run.
“I just wish you would’ve stopped. Just stopped and helped him," Young said.
Right now, Johnson remains unresponsive at a local hospital.
Young said doctors want to wait before they perform surgery.
“He was supposed to have surgery before but they brought him back because he was having a difficult time. so right now we just have to keep him stable," Young said. “I’m asking the world to keep praying. Keep the prayers coming."
Young said she expects to get another update on her grandson is the next few days.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover medical costs for the child.