Boy, 4, hospitalised in Watford crash returns home

Leo was visiting relatives in Watford when he and a six-year-old girl were injured in Hemming Way on Saturday afternoon, June 1.

Harrowing pictures post-surgery have revealed the scale of his injuries, which included a major head fracture that needed four hours of surgery and five metal plates attached.

Four-year-old Leo was visiting relatives in Watford when the collision happened in Hemming Way. (Image: Contribution) His mum told the Watford Observer her son had been a “soldier” since the collision, adding: “He did not complain once.

“If it was an adult, we would be complaining ‘oh my head’, and he should have already been in pain but he wasn’t. He’s just been amazing."

Leo, who lives in Weston Turville in Buckinghamshire, was discharged from hospital on Sunday, June 9 more than a week after his operation.

The four-year-old is tired but “doing well”, according to his mum, and he will be able to go back to school next week.

The crash left him needing major surgery as he suffered two large cuts and a major head fracture. (Image: Contribution) “He is so excited to go back to school," she added. "I just took him to see his teacher and his friends to say hi and they were super excited to see him. It was very emotional.”

The incident has left the mum feeling “stressed and angry” as she said the two children had met that day and were playing together on their bikes on a pathway off the road when it happened.

Leo was discharged from hospital on Sunday and is excited to go back to school next year. (Image: Contribution) Shannon Howland, the mother of the six-year-old girl, told the Watford Observer: “I’m exhausted but I’m happy she’s alive.”

Surgeons operated on her daughter for over an hour after the collision broke her jaw and tore the gums inside, and she will need to have a follow-up operation in six to 12 weeks.

The six-year-old also suffered a fractured collarbone, broken rib and partially collapsed lung and  was discharged from hospital last week. 

• Major head surgery for boy, 4, hit by car in Watford
• Children, 6 and 4, 'seriously injured' in Watford crash

“We didn’t know if she was alive or dead when we saw her lying over her bike unresponsive,” the 29-year-old added. “I’m just glad she’s home.”

Her mother said doctors have prescribed her even stronger medication due to the pain in her jaw and she will be forced to eat pureed food for the next few weeks.

A GoFundMe page with a £600 target has been set up to replace the bikes which were “destroyed” in the collision and buy new helmets.

There have been no arrests and the driver continues to “fully cooperate” with the investigation, Hertfordshire Police confirmed.