LAKE STATION, IN (WLS/CNN) – An Indiana teen is recovering from a broken nose, broken ankle and concussion after he was beaten by alleged bullies.
Frankie Coulter, 14, had to be airlifted to the hospital and temporarily placed in a medical coma Friday night following an attack after a high school football game in Lake Station, IN.
"I was scared to death. He's got a neck brace on. He's got tubes breathing for him. He couldn't breathe on his own,” said Kristine King, the boy’s mother.
King says her son was taking pictures for the school newspaper during a highly anticipated rivalry game before he was attacked by a group of boys from Edison Junior-Senior High School, where Frankie is a freshman.
The beating was caught on cell phone video, and those responsible were seen fleeing the scene by Trisha Nalley, whose son attends the same school as Frankie. She moved to help the 14-year-old.
"We get to the boy, and he's not moving. He's unconscious. He was bleeding from his nose and his mouth. So, I took my blanket and put it under his head because he immediately started seizing,” Nalley said.
Nalley says she recognized the attackers because they’ve bullied and fought with her son in the past. It’s gotten so bad with one of them in particular that she’s filed multiple police reports and even tried to get a restraining order.
"I was actually going to leave at halftime, and my son came up to me and said that there was an issue going on, that there might be an issue. So, I had to end up staying the entire game, so upon exiting the game, I really thought for a minute it was my son," Nalley said.
School administrators say they are aware of the situation.
"We have zero tolerance for bullying and fighting… We cannot comment on details regarding the students involved, but are disciplining according to our student handbook and school policy,” their statement reads.
Frankie’s mother, however, says she believes the school is turning a blind eye, refusing to discipline someone with a known history.
"I do know that he was expelled last year, and they let him back in this year. I'm not real sure why. This is ridiculous. The one thing they should be able to do is go to a school function without getting beat up,” King said.
The New Chicago Police Department is investigating the case.
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