KINGSTON -- A 12-year-old boy is still struggling to live a normal life seven months after a near-deadly crash.
Josh Simon was badly hurt in an incident that allegedly involved a drag race between two other vehicles. Simon's family faced the accused racer on Tuesday for the first time.
Police say Paul Butkiewicz of Plymouth was racing another car in September when he collided with the Chevrolet Avalanche the boy was riding in.
Butkiewicz said nothing walking into his preliminary hearing. He is charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and traffic charges for injuring Simon and some other passengers in the vehicle, including Brandon Goble of Kingston.
“I have collar bone problems, shoulder problems, and my back,” he said.
But the vehicle Simon was riding in should not have been on the road. Court papers show the driver of that vehicle was Misty Biggs, Simon’s mom. She didn't have the car inspected, nor did she have it insured at the time of the crash, according to police.
The Simons' attorney says those vehicle violations are irrelevant, but the accused driver's attorney plans to argue that the truck's condition Simon was riding in could have played a part in the crash.
The speed of the vehicles could not be determined because there were no skid marks. The magistrate sent the case on to trial.
