Hilltown Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, June 23, 2011
Westerlo boy might lose an eye
By Zach Simeone
WESTERLO — A young boy from Westerlo suffered a severe eye injury at a party last weekend, and it is unclear whether or not he will lose the eye.
On Saturday, June 11, while at a party on Udell Road in Westerlo, a 13-year-old boy was struck in the eye by a rock that was thrown at him. According to the sheriff’s department, the boy “sustained a ruptured eyeball,” and received 76 sutures in the eye.
Deputies learned of the incident from emergency room staff at the Albany Medical Center Hospital, where the boy went for treatment.
Witnesses at the scene said another boy, also 13, “threw several rocks at the victim despite being asked to stop,” according to a release from the sheriff’s office.
“It’s a coin toss if he’s going to have vision and if he’s even going to keep the eye,” Undersheriff Craig Apple told The Enterprise this week. “Last I’d heard, the doctors were going to see how the eye starts to heal. Once it starts to heal, we should get a little bit better of an idea.”
A hearing on the matter is scheduled to take place at noon on July 14 at Albany County Family Court.
The defendant, also 13, was arrested on June 16 and charged with second-degree assault, a felony, and second-degree reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor. He was arraigned at Albany County Family Court by Judge W. Dennis Duggan and released under the supervision of his parents.