Capitals urge prayers for 6-year-old in sledding accident

WASHINGTON — A local 6-year-old McLean boy is struggling for his life in a medically-induced coma after a sledding accident this week, and his family asking for prayers and well-wishes.

Their outreach has drawn the attention of the Washington Capitals hockey team,  and the blog Russian Machine Never Breaks has been collecting tweets and photos.  The teams’ owner, Ted Leonsis was also asking for prayers and well-wishes on his blog, “Ted’s Take.” The team’s announcer Wes Johnson produced a video called “Unleash the Healing.”

The small victim has been called one of the team’s “biggest fans” and had recently taken a photo of himself with a snowman dressed in Caps garb. These and other photos were sent by the boy’s uncle to the Caps, and are now featured on their blog.

The boy, who officials have not named, was listed in critical condition Wednesday after he was struck by a passing car driven by a  65-year-old woman from McLean.

Police say the driver of the car “heard a loud noise, recognized what had happened, immediately got out and rendered aid to the child.”

The boy at the time was using a flat-bottomed sled under adult supervision. Police say neither speed nor alcohol contributed to the accident and no charges had been filed.

Reports say the boy’s family had been holding vigil and decided to reach out on social media, particularly on Twitter, where they have been spreading the word with the hashtag #Pray4Bman.

 

 

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