Parents of Hit-and-Run Victim Get Visas to Travel From Ecuador to See Son

There is some hopeful news for the family of a teenage hit-and-run victim in Waterbury.

Bryan Calle’s parents were granted humanitarian visas on Thursday. It means they will get the chance to travel from Ecuador to Connecticut to be by their son’s side as he fights for his life in the hospital.

Calle, 17, was hit by a car while riding a scooter on West Main Street just after midnight last Friday.

His parents Segundo and Rosa Calle expect to be with their son at Connecticut Children’s by Sunday.

Segundo Calle, Bryan’s father, spoke with NBC Connecticut from Ecuador, saying he is so grateful for the visa and the opportunity means so much.

“Thank God, I don't feel so defeated, because God has been good to me, to give me strength,” Segundo Calle said in Spanish. “Thank you to all of you, to all the measures that have helped me be able to travel tomorrow to see my son."

Police have arrested John Egan, 58, after he allegedly struck the teen with his car then fled the scene. He was the chairman of the zoning commission, but resigned Tuesday.

Egan was at a restaurant hours before the crash, according to his arrest warrant. Receipts show he paid for 14 alcoholic drinks there, and surveillance video shows he consumed them. The warrant states he went to another location and got two more drinks.

Bryan Calle’s cousin, Martha Ortiz Calle, says she is heartbroken after learning new details from the arrest warrant. She wishes the suspect had just called an ambulance for her loved one.

“Accidents can happen. We can blame for the accident. But he was drunk. He drank so much,” Ortiz Calle said. “I would like to send a message for this man. How do you think about it? Could it be his son? Or could it be his family or any member of his family? How are we going to think about it, look at a one person in the floor?”

The Calles plan to stay with Ortiz Calle when they arrive in Connecticut Sunday. Their humanitarian visas will allow them to stay in the U.S. for three months.

Bryan’s dad says his son is still between life and death right now.

“We are crushed by this news, because he is my son after all,” Segundo Calle said. “To see him in this condition, it's something that doesn't have comparison, and you can't explain how it makes one feel. To see that my son is still so far away, in a country so far away. This is what hurts us the most, to be so far away from our son."

Egan voluntarily turned himself into police Wednesday evening. He faces charges including evading responsibility and causing serious physical injury or death. He was released on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on June 12.