A Detroit beating victim, who was placed in a medically induced coma after he was severely attacked by a crowd when he stopped his car to check on a boy he accidentally hit has regained consciousness, but is still confused, according to a post online Friday by his family. Steve Utash’s daughter, Mandie Marie Utash wrote in a post on an online fundraiser site established to help the family afford his medicals bills that her father was off a ventilator and able to breathe on his own.
“He is in and out of it with his memories,” she wrote. “Sometimes he can look at me and remember who I am and other times he can’t. Today when I asked him how old he is he said, ”I’m two years old, but he did know his name.” Mandi said her father is having flashbacks to the April 2 attack when he was beaten by a slew of people after he stopped to help a 10-year-old boy who stepped into traffic and was hit by Utash’s pickup truck on Detroit’s east side.
She said he keeps repeating “I don’t want to die, I’m sorry,” and “Please get off of me.” She said he doesn’t seem to know what happened to him or why he is in the hospital, “but again it is way too early to tell.” She added that he is on pain medications that are causing him to be delirious. “These are baby steps. He is able to wiggle is toes on command and answer yes or no questions. It’s to soon to tell if he’s going to have any memory loss or long term damage. The frontal lobe is what was affected the most and that is where his memories and personality are and this is a long road ahead but the end of the road will be worth it.”
She finished her post by asking people to continue to keep her father in their prayers and thoughts. Officials have confirmed that Utash was attacked by up to a dozen people, who severely beat the man with their feet and fists.
SOURCE: Chelsea Alves
American Live Wire
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