Vicious attack on 14-year-old Windsor boy has family wondering if he'll 'ever be the same'
The first week of high school was turned into a nightmare for a W.F. Herman Secondary School student after a vicious attack left a 14-year-old boy with a fractured skull, impaired hearing and concussion-like symptoms.
A video of the assault — which has since gone viral — shows the victim being sucker-punched by a larger male teen from behind. The attacker proceeds to pick him up and slam him into the cement head first.
"You don't know the long-term effects ... This could affect him when he's in his 20s. Will he get his hearing back? He just turned 14," said the victim's grandfather, adding some light and sound still bothers his grandson.
WARNING: This video of the incident may be disturbing to some viewers.
The incident, which happened Wednesday just before 11:30 a.m., resulted in two suspects being placed under arrest by Windsor police, facing charges of aggravated assault and assault.
The 14-year-old has been recovering in a London hospital since the assault. His grandfather said the family wants justice, but it's not the only thing they're asking for.
"I want people to realize the seriousness of the injuries. They could've killed him. He was attacked. He was out cold on the ground. But they still continued to beat him," he said.
The video shows a second victim trying to stop the attack, only to be assaulted as well.
"The guy stopped kicking my grandson and started beating [the second victim] up. And then another guy came up and started punching him," the victim's grandfather said.
According to police, the second victim sustained minor injuries. The two suspects have not been named in accordance with the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Impossible to monitor all bullying instances: CAS
At least 1 in 3 adolescent students in Canada have reported being bullied recently. According to Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 47 per cent of Canadian parents report having a child victim of bullying.
Charlotte Lefrank, diversity outreach coordinator with the Windsor-Essex Children's Aid Society, said schools are "doing a lot" to end bullying, but added it's impossible to monitor every interaction between students.
"I think teachers are overwhelmed. They have a lot on their plates. They're trying but they could use support," Lefrank said.
She added bystanders need to "take the extra step" and find safe ways of helping victims of bullying.
"We don't want them to get involved and endanger themselves or become part of the problem, but what can they do? In this case, they would be calling police [and] calling adults for help."
