KUNA, Idaho — The Ada County Prosecutor charged Chad Lee Sizemore with two felony counts of driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident in connection to a wreck Monday that put 17-year-old Gabriel Bird in the hospital.
Bird was riding his motorcycle to his grandma's house in Kuna just after 9 p.m. Monday, according to his mother Monique Coughenour. He will need multiple reconstructive surgeries to recover. He does not have any significant injuries to his head, neck, or back.
"The worst phone call as a parent. You don't ever want to hear that your son has been in a terrible accident," Coughenour said. "All the neighbors came out to help my son, and it's just appalling to me that someone would just leave someone there. How could you just leave someone there? Just leave them there."
Public records show Sizemore reached a plea agreement 14 months ago for a DUI charge he received last calendar year.
A Ring doorbell camera recorded the wreck impacting Bird. The family was not comfortable sharing the video with KTVB for publication, but it shows a large pickup truck speeding away after a loud crash. Bird's screams after the driver left were captured on the recording.
"I never saw any brake lights [in the video] was the other thing that I kind of noticed," Kuna resident Bryan McBee said.
McBee owns the Kuna's Book Habit bookstore in town. He and his wife organized a fundraiser for the family after seeing the video – the families are complete strangers.
"Quite a few businesses offered without us approaching them," McBee said. "With everything else, goods and services that has been promised by the various businesses, it's probably going to be over $1,000 worth of stuff."
Kuna's Book Habit is hosting a raffle fundraiser on Tuesday, Dec. 26, at the store to benefit the family and help pay medical bills. Bird is conscious and able to speak with his family while in the hospital.
"He said, 'the one thing I want is that people are aware of how serious it is. It's not it's not just a good time or an oops, this is - it's bigger than that,'" Coughenour said.
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