The boy, Riverhead Middle School student Spencer Shea, was a passenger in a car driven by his older brother, Luke Shea, 19, that crashed into several trees, officials said. Luke Shea was charged with DWI and was being held at the Suffolk County jail in Riverside in lieu of $250,000 bail.
Hundreds of friends, family members and neighbors have registered their support for the victim on a Facebook fan page. The page had 754 fans as of Wednesday morning. Spencer's mother, Kathleen Shea, declined to speak to a reporter this week, but posted on the Facebook page a report that her son's prognosis was good. She added that he was "not out of the woods by any means."
"He is responding to things, but he is still in extremely bad shape," Ms. Shea wrote.
She thanked the community for its support and prayers and said that more would be needed during the long road to recovery.
"It is truly amazing how a community pulls together," she wrote. "Please keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming."
Investigators say Luke Shea was drunk when he lost control of his 1996 Subaru sedan on Osborn Avenue near Reeves Avenue about 1 a.m. The sedan hit several trees and caused property damage. Spencer, who police said was not wearing a seatbelt, was partially ejected from the car. The driver and three other passengers, all of whom were wearing seatbelts, were not injured. Spencer was airlifted to Stony Brook for treatment of what police described as serious injuries to his upper body.
vchinese@timesreview.com