Father of injured Tippin student praises mother killed in accident: ‘She is the angel of our son’

The father of a 10-year-old boy hit by a car in the parking lot of Tippin Elementary School spoke to the media Friday and praised the actions of a mother killed in the accident.

Velusamy Sathish-Kumar was in the parking lot on Monday afternoon when a 58-year-old driver struck three children and a mother.

Kumar says he and his wife were pushed out of the way of the oncoming vehicle. He described seeing his son, Athindra Sathish Kumar, pinned between two vehicles.

“When I recovered from that shock, I looked for my wife and asked ‘Where is our son?,” Kumar said. “Both of us started screaming our son’s name and that’s when we saw him in between the two cars and that’s when we dragged him out of there.”

Athindra Kumar suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung. The Kumar family had just moved to El Paso from Singapore a little more than a month ago and Monday was Athindra Kumar’s first day of school.

CLICK HERE to donate to a Go Fund Me account set up to help the Kumar family.

Two other students were also hit by the vehicle. Their mother, 33-year-old Karisma James, was killed after she was run over while trying to get the driver of the vehicle to stop.

The injuries suffered by James’ children were not serious, but Kumar remains at the El Paso Children’s Hospital where he is on a ventilator.

Kumar’s father says his son still doesn’t speak, but that he’s making good progress. He says Athindra can now communicate with his hands and that he can nod his head.

“I say to myself that I need to stay strong and positive,” Kumar said. “Because the family needs me more than ever, so I need to stay strong and positive. Our son is our first priority at this moment.”

Kumar also credits James’ heroic actions for helping save his son’s life. James tried to get the driver of the vehicle to stop before she was run over and killed.

“She is the angel of my son and we will always have her in our hearts,” Kumar said. “It’s a very tough time for the two kids and I don’t have much words to express, but I’m deeply sorry and saddened for their family.”

CLICK HERE to donate to a Go Fund Me account set up to help the James Family.

The driver of the car who hit Kumar’s son has been identified as 58-year-old Roger Hawkins. Police say Hawkins became disoriented when he crashed into a vehicle while pulling out of a parking space at Tippin Elementary. Hawkins has not been charged, although police said the incident remains under investigation.