Fund set up for injured boy
Published Tuesday, August 26, 2008
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Stumble It!FAIRBANKS — A fund has been set up at Denali State Bank to help the 4-year-old Fairbanks boy who was severely injured in an accident with a suspected drunken driver in the Island Homes subdivision last week.
Phillip Lara was critically injured when he was struck by Jessica Paul, 20, of Fairbanks as he pedaled a Big Wheel down the side of Slater Street just before 8 p.m. on Thursday.
The boy suffered a fractured skull, broken back, bruised lung and bruised heart in the accident.
He was medivaced to Anchorage and later flown to Seattle Children’s Hospital, where he is in stable condition.
Lara faces up to three months in the hospital because of his back injuries.
Both of his parents, Edward and Rose, are staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Seattle.
Paul was subsequently arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and is in Fairbanks Correctional Center on $100,000 bail.
She also is charged with first-degree assault.
Donations can be made at any Denali State Bank branch in Fairbanks — Cushman Street across from the News-Miner; Airport Way next to Denny’s; Van Horn Road near Gene’s Chrysler; and the Chena Pump branch across the street from Just a Store. Donations also can be made at the Tok branch.
Community Discussion
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Phillip Lara & his parents, Edward and Rose Lara may you bond & grow closer together as a family at this time of pain. Stay strong together.
Jessica Paul may you lean on your family as you learn first hand the sorrow that driving under the influence of alcohol has on families. You have a long hard walk ahead of you as you realize the full impact of your choice. We need families to help put an end this. So many families bare the pain, such pain needs to stop.
If there's someone who has made an unwise choice in the past maybe has wise words for us all from their heart. Wisdom. A lil truth goes a long way.
Please parents teach our children to be strong and say no over & over again to substances. So many families bare the pain, such pain needs to stop.
This is a horrible tragedy -
Even though I will be attacked for this -
Why was a 4-year-old pedaling his big wheel down the side of the street at 8pm?
I had a big wheel as a kid and I was only allowed on sidewalks and our driveway - and when I did venture into the road my mom would spank my bottom.....
Is it 'legal' for a kid to be riding a big wheel down a public thoroughfare?
None of the above excuses the driver for not paying attention and for being under the influence, however....
Many lives ruined for stupid stupid mistakes!
This is very sad. Where in gods name was the parents of this little boy? I have teenagers and they are not allowed outside after 7pm unless they are with a responsible adult.
To Philip's family, my heart and soul prays for all of you to a speedy and full recovery.
To Jessica, I hope your time in jail will guide you to make better choices in life. You are not a bad person and everyone makes (mostly called) mistakes. I say they are lessons. I will pray for you in hopes that you seek a better path for your life.
My thoughts are with you all!
To Phillip's family, my heart goes out to you and my prayers and thoughts are with all of you. We will be setting aside a portion of our dividends for you.
To Jessica, this is your second offense of under aged drinking. Please get some help, get new friends, and if you choose to drink please do not drive. Whether or not you hit a child, a dog, or a trash can this behavior should not be tolerated by the community.
To the rest of you people making comments: I know this family, my son plays with their sons, and I know where they live. How dare you become self righteous, "Where were the parents?" "Why was this kid on the street?" exactly how are these questions going to solve anything?
But just for arguments sake I will tell you...This family doesn't live on Airport way or some major busy street. They live in a quiet residential area where the speed limit is 25mph. The streets are so small, although paved there is no dividing line to designate 2 separate lanes. If you read the original blurb in the paper you would have noticed that the accident occured 2 houses down from his own house. This child was playing in what was considered his driveway, a "safe" place within viewing distance of his own home. Another thing you may not know about this family is that they have 6 kids. I only have one child and I have a difficult enough time keeping an eye on that one. I'm not condemning them for having more children, I'm just saying I can certainly see how for a few precious moments they could have lost sight of him.
I grew up here in Fairbanks and in the summer time when the sun is out at 8pm I'd be out riding my bike or whatever. Sure beats staying inside watching the idiot box.
The parents of the little boy, are not to blame here. The only crime these parents have commited was making the assumption that they were living in a "safe" neighborhood. Frankly I think it's a crime that they had to realize in this manner, that none of us are truly "safe".
The question that everyone needs to be asking is where were the parents of the 4 underaged drinking girls? Or maybe, why were these girls stone cold drunk by 8pm on a thursday evening. Jessica who was driving with a blood alcohol level of .105 was driving because she supposedly was the "most sober" of the bunch. Think about that for awhile before you start condemning the Lara family for not keeping a closer eye on their child. Instead ask yourself, which set of parents (Phillip's or Jessica's) caused the most damage by not keeping closer tabs on their child? Personally I think that would be Jessica's parents.
I just want say that I live on Slater, and not a day goes by that drivers exceed the speed limit they are doing 40 in a 20 mph. This neighborhood is full of little kids and driver's drive it like they do the highway.
I spend a lot of time in my front yard with my little ones, and drivers are talking on their cell's, listing to their boom base music, and not paying attention to what's going on. So PLEASE SLOW DOWN!
It is a sad time for the Lara Family, they don't need to be criticized.
For the young woman who hit Phillip, shame on you! What are you doing driving and this is your second offense, I hope the they throw the book at you!!
My heart goes out to both familys, but I dont care how many kids you have, you should look after them at all times. Maybe the state needs to help them look after the rest of them. The streets are for cars, not big wheels and kids or drinking people in cars.
I hope for the best for both Families. True, his family should have kept an eye on him. And I would think one of six children is old enough to help keep an eye on a four year old. But that was just as much of a mistake that Jessica had made that night. I'm sure both families will learn a lesson from this incident.
To those blaming the young girls parents, I know her personally, and I can tell you her parents aren't around anymore. Her and her younger sister have pretty much been on her own since before Jess was 16. She is a responsible person, always taking care of business before pleasure. Although it was a bad choice, I wouldn't blame it on the drinking, it could have happend even if she was sober.
Nobody is to blame, it was just a mistake on both sides. I am very sorry this had to happen to either family and I hope everyone can pass this lesson on to other families. Again, my heart goes out to both families. I hope the worst is over.
kobuk_cutie- "To the rest of you people making comments: I know this family, my son plays with their sons, and I know where they live. How dare you become self righteous, "Where were the parents?" "Why was this kid on the street?" exactly how are these questions going to solve anything?"
It might help other parents to understand that a 4 yr old can not make the correct decisions/judgments on their own and should be supervised at ALL times. A road is NOT a "drive way". The amount of traffic that goes through Island Homes has grown through the years. The road is never a safe place for children to play in, ever. Yes, Jessica has to take responsiblity for the choices she made that got her to this point. But parents in general need to take responsibility for their children, where their children are at, and what they are doing. It's called being an involved and caring parent. My heart goes out to the Lara family, and I hope that their son makes a full recovery. No parent should have to endure these circumstances, and by no means am I bashing their parenting skills. Just voicing my opinion about being a parent.
This is definetely a tragedy. My heart and prayers go out to the boy who (thankfully) will make it and has proven to be one tough kid.
As for the reference above about Jessica always putting business before pleasure, anyone who knows Jess (yes I am one of them), knows that that isn't exactly true. She will drink all night until afternoon the next day, which can explain why being drunk at 8pm on a Thursday night isn't out of the ordinary for her.
I hope they throw the book at her. Jessica herself would say that herself if circumstances were different and the child was her family. Jessica needs to take responsibilty for her carelessness and take responsibility--it's about time.
What everyone needs is a dose of honesty. Honestly, we have a huge problem with teens drinking and driving, which we as a community need to take a stance against. Parents needs to watch their children more carefully because there are some careless people out there.
Baby Phillip died. Are you still standing up for Jessica. 2 houses isn't that far from home. Whatever happens to Jessica, she deserves what she gets.
I know that you are all perfect parents, and don't let your child play on their Big Wheels within sight of their own house. I know that I would want Jessica to stay in jail for life if my baby was hit by a drunk driver. What if Phillip was you child? Have you thought of it that way?
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