Michelle and Coy Henderson said Tuesday they are grateful their son is alive after he was struck by the police cruiser Monday evening just steps from their home.
"The day could have ended so differently. But it didn't. Thank God," said Michelle Henderson.
Police officers responded just before 5:30 p.m. Monday after the crash happened at North Woodrow Street and Church Street.
Axel Henderson was walking to meet his father to play soccer when he was hit. Coy Henderson told ABC11 that he began to wonder where his son was after some time had passed and hadn't heard anything.
"I get this weird text that just says 'here,'" he said. "I start looking around, and I don't see him anywhere."
Moments later, Henderson received a call from his son's phone. But it wasn't Axel on the line.
"They said, 'This is an officer... your son has been hit by a car,'" Henderson said as he described the call. "I was in shock."
The family said Axel told them he saw the police cruiser come to a complete stop at a stop sign before he began crossing the street. Seconds later, he said, the police car proceeded through the intersection and hit him.
"He saw the car speed up and thought, 'She has to see me,'" said Coy Henderson. "Then she sped up again, and that's when he got hit."
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The impact ended with Axel thrown into a ditch along the road. His father, who was also yards away when it happened, arrived to find him injured and bleeding.
"As I came over the hill, I saw him in the ditch with his bookbag propped under his head. There was blood everywhere," he said.
Axel's injuries included a bilateral orbital fracture along with bruises and scrapes. His parents said they believed that the soccer ball in his backpack may have softened the blow.
"We think the ball took some of the impact," Michelle Henderson said.
Axel was taken to a hospital for treatment and later discharged. Doctors determined his nose was not broken but confirmed the orbital fracture.
"It's really scary seeing your son in a neck brace while they're trying to start IVs," said Michelle Henderson. "He'll recover. But it's going to take time."
The Hendersons said they want accountability and answers about what the officer was doing in her patrol vehicle at the time of the crash.
"You want better training. We don't know what was going on in that vehicle or why she didn't see our son. This happened to our kid. It can happen to somebody else," Michelle Henderson added.
Fuquay-Varina Police said the North Carolina State Highway Patrol is investigating the incident and said its primary concern is the well-being of everyone involved.
"(Axel) could have easily been swept underneath the car. We could be planning a funeral today," said Coy Henderson.
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