A five-year-old boy from Colorado is back home after he was hit by a car in a crosswalk near Promenade Parkway and Castlegate Drive in Castle Rock. The boy's mom, Amani Willis, says he was on his bike when a car came across the crosswalk and hit him. 

Willis was taking her son, Zaiden Martin, to get ice cream the evening of Saturday, July 12th, to celebrate a milestone. 

"He read his first chapter book," said Willis. "He worked hard, he sounded out all the words, and it was a third-grade level book. So that's why I'm like, okay, you deserve some ice cream."

What should have been a celebratory evening quickly took a turn when Zaiden was hit, despite their efforts to safely cross.

 "We pressed the button, so the lights were flashing to indicate there's a pedestrian walking."

Zaiden was rushed to Children's Hospital Colorado with a fractured skull and bleeding and bruising on his brain.

"It was definitely the worst moment, days of hopefully the rest of my life," said Willis.

After spending a week in the hospital, Zaiden left on Saturday in high spirits.

"He was unconscious, he was sedated, he was intubated, breathing from a breathing machine.  Now he's smiling, he's making jokes. He's being silly," Willis said.

And he was still eager to get that ice cream. 

"He's getting ice cream tonight, whatever he wants, and pizza," shared Willis.

While there's now a lot to celebrate, Zaiden is still battling blood clots in his brain and has a long road ahead to a full recovery. Aside from his health, his mom is hoping for an apology from the person who fled.

"He's the most empathetic little boy that I've ever met, and it's hard knowing that the person who did this to him didn't check on him, hasn't seen if he's okay, hasn't apologized, hasn't done any of that," Willis said.

The Castle Rock Police Department confirmed the driver of the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run has been identified, but due to an ongoing investigation, they could not provide any additional information.