Doctors at San Francisco General have upgraded the condition of the child who was hit by a vehicle while leave a San Francisco Giants game last week.
Doctors say he is no longer in critical condition and instead is now listed in serious condition.
The boy, Ryan White from Philadelphia, was in San Francisco on vacation with his family attended last Thursday night's Phillie/Giants game with his parents as a proud Phillie fan.
On their way back to their hotel Ryan was struck by a white pickup truck at the intersection of Mission and New Montgomery streets at about 10:30 p.m.
Police said Andrew Alan Vargas, 21, was the man behind the wheel of the truck. Vargas has been charged with two counts of felony drunk driving with injury and one felony count of hit-and-run with injury in connection to the case.
Along with the condition upgrade, Ryan parents, Ken and Roseanne White, issued a statement thanking the Bay Area for their support.
We would like to express our deep gratitude to the people of San Francisco and the Bay Area for the outpouring of support and sympathy for our son Ryan, who was the victim of a hit-and-run on Thursday, August 4. We are grateful for the kind attention of the San Francisco Police Department and Chief Greg Suhr, the San Francisco Police Officers Association, the San Francisco Fire Department, Mayor Ed Lee, and the Giants and Phillies organizations. Your personal outreach has meant so much to us, and to our older son, Kevin, during this difficult time. We have been deeply touched by the outpouring of support by people we don’t even know, local residents and merchants, such as Lefty O’Douls, that are stepping forward to help Ryan. Thank you very much.
Ryan suffered a series of critical injuries from the incident and is now in serious condition at San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH). He has fractures to his pelvis, left leg and ankle, a laceration to his liver and a traumatic brain injury that is slowly improving. Currently he is following some basic commands. We are hopeful as he continues to improve. In a matter of days he has gone from giving us a thumbs up or thumbs down response to speaking in sentences for the first time this morning. Ryan has a long road ahead of him, but he is young and strong and we expect steady improvement especially when he can engage in rehabilitation full time.
We are working with the doctors and nurses at SFGH to determine the best way for Ryan to return to Pennsylvania to continue his recovery. We greatly appreciate their compassion and expertise.
We continue to request that Ryan’s and our privacy be respected, and will not be granting media interviews at this time.
Thank you.
Ken and Roseanne White, parents of Ryan White
Ryan can get cards sent to: Ryan White, P.O. Box 542, San Francisco, CA 94104
