The Waltham High School senior hit by an alleged drunk driver Sunday morning is still in critical condition and in the surgical intensive care unit, said a spokesman at Lahey Clinic in Burlington.
Authorities say the woman driving a sport utility vehicle that hit 17-year-old John Causland was drunk.
Friends of the victim expressed outrage that a Waltham District Court judge released the women without bail, though she faces charges for driving under the influence of alcohol and negligent driving, among other charges.
Causland yesterday was fighting life-threatening injuries.
Police say Bonnie Lee Hicks was drunk when her Nissan Xterra struck Causland as he was walking in a Trapelo Road crosswalk around 6:20 a.m.
Monica LeBlanc, who works with Causland at nearby Waltham Crossings, told police she saw the accident.
LeBlanc said Causland appeared to have been running from the south side to the north side of Trapelo Road when she saw Hicks' SUV strike him, according to court records.
"(The SUV) was flying into the intersection. John went flying into the air and landed across the street," LeBlanc told police, according to court records.
Police Sgt. Tim King said Hicks, 43, of 301 Concord Road, Apt. 1, Billerica, has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol causing an accident with serious injury, negligent driving, a crosswalk violation, driving an unregistered car, driving with a revoked registration and an expired inspection sticker.
According to court documents, Hicks told police she was driving west on Trapelo Road when she struck Causland.
"I didn't see him - I think he jumped in front of me," she told police, according to the report.
Hicks, who was not injured, told police she had come from a friend's house, but refused to give that person's name or address, the report said.
An officer reported smelling a strong odor of alcohol on Hicks, who told him she had had four glasses of wine, according to the report.
When he asked what time she drank the wine, the officer reported, "She looked at me with a blank stare for several seconds" and didn't answer.
Hicks failed three field sobriety tests and refused a Breathalyzer test, according to court documents.
Hicks pleaded not guilty at her arraignment yesterday.
Waltham District Court Judge Gregory Flynn released her on personal recognizance, ordered her not to drive, and back to court for a pretrial hearing on Jan. 12.
Friends yesterday were upset at Flynn's decision to let Hicks go on personal recognizance.
"It's disgusting - she should be held accountable for her actions. It's kind of an insult the judge wouldn't think this was serious enough to hold her," said friend Kevin McGrath.
John Barberio, who has worked with Causland for more than a year at Waltham Crossings, an assisted living facility at 126 Smith St., said Causland had a strong work ethic and cheerful disposition.
"When working with him, he was always happy and social with our co-workers and with the residents living at Waltham Crossings," Barberio said.
The two liked to talk about music, concerts and bands, he said.
"He is someone that could be relied upon to show up and cover a shift, a very responsible kid," Barberio said.
Danielle Mountain, a senior at Waltham High and a friend of Causland, described him as a kind and humorous person who "brightened everyone's day."
He was involved with peers at school and was an athlete on the cross country team, track, tennis and swim teams, Mountain said.
Causland is "just liked by everyone, and never (has) a mean thing to say about anyone. Everyone loves him," she said.
"He worked hard and touched every person he met in one way or another. At this moment individuals who barely knew John sit disheartened and truly hurt by his accident," Mountain said.
Waltham High School senior Erica Sheck, also a Causland friend, called him "one of the sweetest guys you will ever meet."
"He cared for friends and family more then himself it sometimes seemed," Sheck said.
A lot of people are rooting for him to get better, she said.
"John Causland was the last person to deserve such a fate," she said.
Many students had difficulty coping with his absence from class yesterday, Sheck said.
"It is impossible to put into words the magnitude of sorrow that clouds over Waltham," she said.
Joyce Kelly can be reached at 781-398-8005 or jkelly@cnc.com.
