“Watching his best friend deliberately hit, then thrown over the handlebars with such force he was airlifted and thrown into a stationary car headfirst - seeing all of that unfold, in my eyes, makes him probably more of a victim than Blake,” she said.
“[I] just want whoever is responsible to own up and take some responsibility for their actions as they have broken my son mentally and physically,” he said.
“He’s struggling, keeps just seeing the car coming at him.”
The incident had “destroyed his Christmas”.
“Scary to think someone can just drive into a kid like that without blinking an eye.”
Irwin wanted to thank the doctors at Starship as well as the local community for their help and support.
“We will find out who [did] this with or without the police’s assistance. I will never give up.”
In the Givealittle page, Irwin described Blake as a “really active kid” who was “always up for some adventure” with his friends.
Blake, 14, was hit by a car while riding his e-bike in Browns Bay, Auckland on Friday night.
“After working hard and saving every dollar he made, he managed to get the bike of his dreams, all to be taken away in a heartbeat,” Irwin wrote.
“The driver intentionally hit him at high speed before leaving the scene, leaving him injured and his bike completely destroyed. Thankfully, he had on a good helmet and bystanders were quick to help out.”
Irwin said they were hoping to raise money to help him get a new bike or fix his old one.
A police spokeswoman said officers received a report about 10pm on Friday of a crash on Bayview Rd.
“The car has left the scene and police are making inquiries to locate that vehicle and driver, and understand the circumstances surrounding the crash,” she said.
Stacey told the Herald Blake and his friend had met the car’s occupants, allegedly two men and two women, earlier in the evening at a local park.
Blake's parents are hoping to raise funds to repair or replace the damaged bike.
She said there was a verbal altercation and the two friends left on their e-bikes.
Stacey claimed the group then got in their vehicle and chased the boys.
Later, she said the car ended up striking her son at the intersection of Beach Front Lane and Bayview Road, throwing him off his bike.
“We are really, really shocked at the minimal amount of injuries he actually sustained, considering [the crash]. He does have multiple fractures, a severe concussion.
“They took off and the damage to their vehicle was so severe that the entire bumper with the number plate was left at the scene.”
She said police told them the car was later reported stolen.
“The kids saw the assailants.
“Eventually we will find out [who did it] and it would be so much better for that person to come forward.”
She thanked the couple who witnessed the crash and waited with her son for the ambulance to arrive.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice, and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 12 years.
