A pair of teenage brothers from Ellsworth who were seriously injured while riding dirt bikes are recuperating at a Boston hospital, according to their family.
Bentley Miles, 14 and his brother Cooper Miles, 16, were not wearing helmets when they collided while riding motorized dirt bikes at a gravel pit in Franklin on April 19. They were riding from opposite directions toward each other along a trail when one of the brothers made a sweeping left turn and collided with the other, according to the Maine Warden Service, which handled the emergency response.
The boys’ mother, Shelley Miles, said Thursday that after the boys initially were taken to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, they were flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Boston’s Children Hospital. Since then each has had multiple surgeries for breaks and fractures at the Boston hospital, where they remain in the intensive care unit, or ICU, she said.
Their aunt, Melissa Gott, said Thursday that the most serious injuries to their heads in the collision were concussions.
“It has been a long couple of weeks but the team of specialists in Boston have been amazing,” Shelley Miles said. “They soon will be moving out of the ICU to another floor where they will continue to heal and run more tests as they work towards getting out of the hospital.”
After they are discharged, the brothers are expected to relocate to an inpatient rehabilitation center where physical therapists will work on getting the boys “strong enough to return home,” she said.
The boys’ parents own and operate Miles Motorsports & Complete Car Care on Route 1 in Hancock, which has been able to remain open despite the boys’ accident.
“We want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support during this trying time for our family,” they posted on the business’ Facebook page. “Your continued support means the world to us.”
As of Thursday, an online fundraiser for the Miles family had raised $46,000.
