Jason Burroughs has a long road to recovery

Forest Park Senior Jason Burroughs was struck by a vehicle Tuesday morning. The vehicle driven by Mary Seitz of Branchville ignored the extended sign and stop lights of the school bus that was picking Burroughs and a kindergartener up for school and swerved into the shoulder of the highway as she passed the bus.

Seeing the vehicle approaching, Jason pushed the kindergartener out of the path of the vehicle and was struck instead. The child escaped with only a bump on his head while Jason took the full brunt of the vehicle impact.

Jason is now at St. Mary’s Hospital in Evansville facing a long road of recovery for the injuries he sustained in the accident. Today he is awake and cognitive and is no longer on an IV for fluids, but his collapsed lung is still being supported with a tube through his chest.

He will probably also be leaving the hospital in a wheelchair due to a bone chip that remains in his ankle that will have to be removed through surgery. Jason is unable to support his weight however he did bear through the pain and get up yesterday with help.