UPDATED FRIDAY 12/7/12

A 14-year-old boy and his grandfather were injured Thursday night when they were struck by a passing car, according to Bainbridge Public Safety.

The accident happened at approximately 7:14 p.m., on the 1500 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, near its intersection with the railroad tracks.

According to a BPS incident report, Malik Shepard was pushing his wheelchair-bound grandfather, Robert James Mickens, 56, along MLK Jr. Drive, when they were struck by a Toyota Camry driven by Melissa A. Massey, 51, of Bainbridge.

BPS Cpl. Nigel Hurst and Officer Mike Prindle arrived at the scene and found Shepard and his grandfather lying in the ditch on the south side of the road, in front of 1512 MLK Jr. Drive.

Mickens’ address is listed as 1514 MLK Jr. Drive.

According to Hurst’s report of the accident, Shepard was pushing his grandfather’s wheelchair east on the roadway. At the same time, Massey was driving east along a section of roadway that was poorly lit, law enforcement officers determined.

The accident was turned over to the Georgia State Patrol, whose initial determination was that Massey was driving within the posted speed limit, was unable to avoid a collision and was therefore not at fault.

According to information released by BPS, officers do not believe that alcohol or drugs was a factor in the accident. Massey was given a blood test at Memorial Hospital, as a routine procedure done when the GSP investigates accidents with injuries.

Shepard and his grandfather, Mickens, were transported by ambulance to Memorial Hospital and were later taken to Tallahassee hospital by emergency medical helicopter, according to BPS.

 

Mom: youth and twin cared for grandparents

Malik Shepard’s mother, Griselda Samuel, contacted The Post-Searchlight, concerning the accident.

Samuel said Malik and his twin brother, Malcolm Shepard, routinely care for their disabled grandparents and frequently took Mickens for walks in his wheelchair.

“They would try and be careful by only walking on the side the houses were on, and trying to avoid the traffic crossing the railroad tracks,” Samuel said. “Malik and Malcolm, and before them, their 23-year-old brother, have been walking their grandfather for years without anything happening to them.”

Officially, Malik Shepard and Mickens were listed in “stable” condition, as of Friday morning.

Samuel said that Mickens suffered internal injuries and some vertebrae in his back were damaged.

She said her son, who had a large cut on the back of his head, suffered a concussion and had swelling of his head. Shepard also has damage to one of the vertebrae in his neck and possible broken bones in his left leg, Samuel said.