The 7-year-old suffered a serious brain injury and multiple fractures after being struck by a pickup on Chateau Drive.
ROME, Ga. — A 7-year-old boy remains in a medically induced coma after a Ford F-150 struck him as he headed toward his school bus on a Rome roadway, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury and multiple broken bones, according to police and his family.
The crash happened shortly after 7 a.m. Aug. 21 on Chateau Drive. Rome police said the child entered the roadway as the pickup traveled north. His family said he was trying to catch the school bus, and police told WSB-TV that he was running toward his older brother at the time.
A Floyd County police officer who was traveling along the road when the crash occurred was the first officer at the scene, according to Rome police. Emergency responders initially took the boy to Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center before he was flown to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite Hospital.
The boy, identified publicly by his family as Aiden, was later placed in a medically induced coma. A fundraiser organized for his family says doctors diagnosed him with a diffuse axonal injury, a traumatic brain injury caused by damage to connections in the brain. The fundraiser also reported a serious ligament injury near his skull and neck, along with fractures to his pelvis, ribs, collarbone and wrist.
The fundraiser says Aiden will require surgery as doctors continue treating his injuries. His family has remained with him at the hospital while also caring for two other children, according to relatives who organized the fundraising effort.
Police said the roadway was wet after storms had moved through the area earlier that morning. Investigators said they found no indication that the pickup driver was speeding or impaired. The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, according to reports citing the Rome Police Department.
Authorities have not publicly identified the driver. Police have said no charges are pending based on information released so far. The Rome Police Department’s accident investigators have continued reviewing the circumstances of the collision.
Early reports on the day of the crash described the boy as being in critical but stable condition. By Aug. 27, his family reported that he remained intubated and in a medically induced coma at the Atlanta hospital. No later medical update detailing when doctors might bring him out of the coma had been publicly released as of Friday.
Relatives described Aiden as an energetic child who enjoys Paw Patrol and dancing. They established an online fundraiser to help his parents with medical and other expenses as they stay near him during his hospitalization.
The investigation remains active, while Aiden continues receiving treatment at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Police have not announced charges or released additional findings that would change their initial assessment of the driver’s actions.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 28, 2026.