The 17-year-old suffered serious injuries after authorities say a woman drove toward someone standing with him at a park-and-ride.
PORT DEPOSIT, Md. — A 17-year-old boy who was critically injured when a car struck him at a Port Deposit park-and-ride is recovering after initially being placed in a medically induced coma, his family said, as investigators allege the driver meant to hit another person.
The teenager was struck Tuesday night at a park-and-ride on Granite Avenue, where he had been spending time with a small group of friends. Cecil County authorities said a Honda Civic went through a split-rail fence before hitting the boy, who was flown to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.
His mother, Savannah Riley, said the first warning came from her 13-year-old daughter, who witnessed the collision from a window and began screaming that her brother had been hit. Riley rushed outside and found her son severely injured. She stayed with him until emergency medical crews arrived.
Riley said her son suffered several serious injuries, including a skull fracture and a broken nose, and needed extensive treatment for a large cut and other trauma. After doctors initially placed him in a medically induced coma, the family said his condition improved and he began what they described as a road to recovery.
The collision quickly became a criminal investigation rather than a routine traffic case. Cecil County sheriff’s investigators said the driver had deliberately targeted a woman who was standing with the teenager. Police identified the driver as 23-year-old Nola Ratledge of North East.
Capt. Michael Holmes of the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office said investigators learned that Ratledge and the other woman had been involved in an argument earlier in the day involving a man. Detectives allege Ratledge later went to the Granite Avenue gathering to confront the woman and intentionally drove toward her.
The teenager’s family said he later recalled seeing the car pass the parking lot before turning around and coming back toward the group. Police have said the other woman was the intended target, although the available reporting does not explain precisely how the teenager came to be in the vehicle’s path.
Ratledge was no longer at the park-and-ride when officers arrived, authorities said. Witnesses identified her to investigators, and police arrested her a short time later. She was being held without bond at the Cecil County Detention Center. The available reporting did not specify the charges filed in connection with her arrest.
The investigation centers on an allegation of intentional conduct, but the allegations against Ratledge have not been proven in court. Authorities have not announced additional arrests or provided further details in the available reporting about the legal proceedings that will follow.
For the teenager’s family, the immediate focus has shifted from the shock of the collision to his medical recovery. He survived injuries that initially required intensive treatment, and his family reported that his condition was improving as Ratledge remained in custody.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 7, 2026.