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Hockey Player, 10, Back On The Ice After Crash

By James Schugel, WCCO-TV

SHOREVIEW (WCCO) -- He suffered a concussion and he broke his skull, but the serious injuries haven't stopped a young Minnesota hockey player.

"I thought it was a dream about the car coming, but apparently it wasn't," said 10-year-old Kyle Folska. "I got knocked out."

A freak accident sent him to the hospital, but now Kyle's back on the ice playing hockey on the "squirt team" with the Mounds View Hockey Association.

For months, it seemed like a long shot for Kyle to get back on the ice again, considering that horrifying hit he took off the ice. He was thrown 10 feet, flew through the air and landed on the pavement right in front of his own home.

"(It was a) parent's worst nightmare. It was horrifying," said Kyle's mother. "A parent never thinks you're going to see your children's life flash before your eyes. They did at that moment."

Sandra Folska saw the whole thing happen, while waiting for her two sons to get on the school bus on the second day of the school year. A car slammed into them, the driver blinded by the sun and icy windshield.

"One second I was looking into the eyes of my 6-year-old, the next second their faces were gone," said Sandra.

Paramedics rushed both boys to Regions Hospital. Kyle's brother wasn't as significantly hurt, only scraped up on his arms and stomach. He got out of the hospital in a few hours, but Kyle stayed in a few days.

Kyle had suffered a traumatic brain injury. His skull had been fractured, and a doctor was able to point out where the skull itself had been indented. But he bounced back from the injuries.

"Let's be practical. You take a typical, active child, and it's going to be pretty hard to hold them down," said Dr. David Dries.

Kyle wears a helmet that should keep him from having another concussion, and has been skating for a month now, much to his mother's surprise.

"The fact that he's back on the ice is just remarkable," said Sandra. "At the time, (the question was) was he going to be able to skate again? We just weren't sure what was going to happen. His recovery was amazing. We just feel really blessed."

Kyle is determined to keep playing one of his favorite sports, hoping never to take a hit quite like the one he did before.

"I've been hearing them say my concussion would heal by itself, so I knew I'd be playing hockey again," he said.

WCCO-TV's James Schugel Reports

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