TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - We know more about a frightening accident on Golf Links Road Monday that left a 17 year old boy in critical condition before he was upgraded to stable. But we also know more about men who bravely pulled him away from the burning wreck of his bike; and the driver charged in connection with the accident.
The victim suffered crushed vertebrae, brain bleeding and a displaced pelvic bone.
Tucson Police say Christina Gee pulled in front of a 17- year- old motorcyclist and he couldn't avoid the collision. Now she is charged with Aggravated Assault and Criminal Damage.
The stepfather of the rider identifies him as Thor Bastedo. As of Friday afternoon he was out of surgery and listed in stable condition in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Banner University Medical Center.
Three men ran toward the burning motorcycle, pulled the rider clear and treated him until an ambulance arrived.
David Gardner was one of the three men who pulled the teen from the fire.
"I heard a loud explosion. My son looked out the window, saw a big fireball and said, daddy, you gotta go."
Gardner says reflexes kicked in from time in the Army and as an EMT.
"I hear an explosion, I'm trained to go. Being an EMT, I'm bound to it. Whether I work as one still, I'm still gonna have that training. If somebody else had to do it, I'm sure they would."
The motorcyclist's step father says the family is grateful to the rescuers and would like Thor to meet them when he's able. He says he's also grateful to the company that sold the motorcycle.
He says Thor Bastedo wanted a very powerful 1000 cc bike that's basically a race bike. But David Gil-Garcia of Ridenow Powersports convinced him to buy a less expensive, less powerful bike much more appropriate for a beginning rider.
Gil-Garcia says, "Pretty happy he's okay. It's part of my job to just guide people towards the right machines."
And the family says the shop convinced him to get not just a helmet, but a special riding jacket with armor padding to protect his upper body.
You can see that jacket as rescuers worked on the teen. David Gardner remembers it and says it probably helped.
