Two teenagers from Berthoud who lost their legs in a car accident are improving daily, and doctors expect the boys to be walking on artificial limbs within a couple of months.
The families and doctors of Tyler Carron and Nikos Landeros, both 17, met with reporters Friday at Denver Health Medical Center to talk about the boys’ injuries and their prospects for recovery.
“Both boys are very, very strong and the most courageous boys I have ever met,” said Lori Moriarity, Carron’s aunt.
More than a dozen family members were at the hospital supporting the boys.
Moriarity, spokeswoman for the families, said the boys are looking forward to returning to Berthoud High School to be among their friends.
On Jan. 15, the two were removing a spare tire from the tailgate of an Isuzu Trooper on Larimer County Road 17 when they were hit by a 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser about 11:30 p.m.
Friends at the scene used belts as tourniquets and probably saved the boys’ lives, said Dr. Ernest Moore, chief of trauma surgery at the hospital.
The unidentified 17-year-old driver of the Land Cruiser, also a Berthoud High student, escaped injury.
Investigators with the Colorado State Patrol are expected to turn over their findings in the case to the Larimer County district attorney’s office Monday, said Master Trooper Ron Watkins.
Both boys are wrestlers at Berthoud, where Carron is a senior and Landeros is a junior.
On Friday, the boys were undergoing more surgery, said Dr. Philip Stahel, a trauma surgeon.
Doctors expect both to undergo skin grafts next week. Landeros is battling pneumonia, but both teens are strong – physically and mentally – and their prognosis is good, Stahel said.
Carron is a bit out in front of Landeros in the recovery process, Stahel said.
Their athletic backgrounds and competitive spirit are aiding the pair, and they’ll help each other in their recovery, doctors said.
“They are a team,” Stahel said. “They should stay together as a team.”
Staff writer Kieran Nicholson can be reached at 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
Al Día: Para este artículo en español, vaya a denverpost.com/aldia
