The Chelsea High School freshman who was struck by a vehicle in an early morning accident in September is slowly progressing in his recovery, with new milestones being hit in the past week.

Kersch Ray

Courtesy of Facebook

Kersch Ray, 13, was one of the two members of Chelsea High School’s cross country team struck by a vehicle on the morning of Sept. 2 at Old US-12 and Freer Road. Last week, he stood for 15 minutes and held his head up on his own, according to a Facebook post by his mother Jackie Ray.

Kersch is currently going through physical therapy to recover from his injuries. He suffered two broken legs and a closed head injury, which required a portion of his skull to be removed to relieve pressure on the brain. He woke up from a coma on Sept. 12 and has been in rehabilitation since.

Jackie Ray said Kersch is able to hold a pen and attempt to write while in therapy. She said one of the more emotional moments in Kersch’s recovery was when he unfolded an opened bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos — one of his favorite foods — put his hand in and took out one of the Cheetos, put it in his mouth and bit it.

She said she’s hoping it might be a sign Kersch is nearing a time when he won’t need the feeding tube he's been on since the accident and can go back to solid food.

“All in all, he has come a long way and still yet has a long way to go,” she posted. “We are confident that he is going to fight and work hard in his recovery. We continue to be thankful every day for the prayers and everything that has been done.”

Kersch is expected to stay in the hospital until Nov. 2, a few weeks longer than originally anticipated, Jackie Ray said.

The Chelsea community, along with friends and family from around southeastern Michigan, has rallied around the Ray family, holding several fundraisers and contributing to a fund set up to raise money for Kersch’s medical bills.

Marijane Nelson, a friend of the Ray family, is one of the organizers of a silent auction that’s going to be held at a spaghetti dinner from 4 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 25 at Chelsea High School. Nelson said there is no set price for the dinner; donations are being accepted at the door.

All the money raised at the spaghetti dinner will go to the Ray family, she said.

“All the food is being donated, so nothing coming out of the dinner will take away from the family at all,” she said.

Organizers of fundraisers during September said benefits held at Big League Brews in Taylor and The Hooch in Dearborn Heights were successful, and the Facebook page set up for Kersch is marked with photos of people wearing “Team Kersch” wristbands.

The Chelsea School District and Chelsea Police Department are conducting separate investigations into the accident. The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office also is conducting a traffic investigation, according to Chelsea police Chief Ed Toth.

Toth said last month the investigation may take months, as the department is interviewing about 20 people who were witnesses. The Chelsea police and sheriff’s investigators also will be comparing notes once they finish their investigations.

The accident occurred before 6:30 a.m. on the morning of Sept. 2, when fire and police personnel were dispatched to Old US-12 and Freer Road. The other member of the cross-country team who was hit by the vehicle was treated at the University of Michigan Health System Trauma Center and released.

Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.