Awake and in good spirits: Teen hit by Tesla while getting off bus making progress in recovery

A 17-year-old Halifax County student was out of surgery and recovering on Thursday night after he was hit by a car Wednesday, leaving him in critical condition.

Tillman Mitchell was on his way home from Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School in Warren County when 51-year-old Howard Gene Yee struck him. Yee, asked for comment, referred WRAL News to his attorney.

Family members said that Mitchell woke up Thursday, moved his legs and was in good spirits, but could not remember the accident.

"I was just praying that he was going to be okay and with him being such a young kid, you know," said Dorothy Lynch, Mitchell's great-aunt. "That was really devastating, and the baby of the family, too.”

Mitchell's great-aunt said the family could not eat or sleep for 24 hours, but now is happy to see good progress.

"It’s going to be a long road to recovery, but I am thinking and praying now that he is in the healing process,” said Lynch.

According to Lynch, Mitchell's father witnessed the whole incident.

"His dad saw it. His dad was on the porch. He ran out, and he was lying face down and he was unconscious," said Lynch. “But his dad turned him over and checked for a pulse, and he still didn't get any response, so he kind of shook him until he took a deep breath."

Lynch also describes the father having to roll Mitchell’s body over so he wouldn't choke on his blood after hearing gurgling sounds.

"He was begging for somebody to call the rescue squad,” said Lynch. "And they did, but it seemed like it took forever for them to pick him up.”

Mitchell was airlifted to WakeMed, where he was in critical condition suffering from internal bleeding and a broken neck and was placed on a ventilator.

Family members said they were not angry when asked about their feelings toward the driver.

"We know it wasn't intentional. And we just, we're praying for him too," said Lynch. "Because he went through a lot and I know this had to be hard for him."

The family also says that they are blessed that Mitchell is alive.

Melissa Richardson, principal of Haliwa-Saponi School, says Mitchell, who is in 10th grade, is beloved by his classmates and school community.

"He's very popular at Haliwa-Saponi School. He has a lot of friends, so it was just touching," she said.

School staff at the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School held a healing session for Mitchell on Thursday, and allowed students to be released early, allowing the school body of 150+ students to process what happened to their classmate. Nearly 30 people stuck around to talk through their feelings. Support staff were on hand to help students process the traumatic event.

According to Sgt. Christopher Knox of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, this was a case of distracted driving. WRAL News asked him if Yee's Tesla was in autopilot mode, and if that could have played a role.

"We are looking at that," he said. "That's not definitive yet. We just believe the driver was distracted. Whether there was an autopilot feature in play or not, that's something we hope to determine today and in the coming days."

Mitchell's school family is using this traumatic event to warn about the dangers of distracted driving.

"It could have been any one of us," said Richardson. "Be careful and just pay attention."

The school has ordered a school bus with a camera on the stop arm for future safety purposes and are hoping it'll arrive by fall.

Video of Yee’s car showed a large dent in the hood and a shattered windshield from the impact.

According to the Highway Patrol, the school bus stop arm was out when the Tesla hit Mitchell. Yee, a dentist in Roanoke Rapids, was placed in the Halifax County Jail under a $25,000 secured bond where he was charged with passing a stop school bus striking a person and reckless driving.. His first court appearance is scheduled for March 23.