A 16-year-old boy was transported to The Memorial Hospital and later flown to Grand Junction for surgery after colliding with a car while riding his bike on Finley Lane Tuesday afternoon.

Both of the boy’s legs were broken in the accident.

Eli Ellis had surgery Wednesday to repair a shattered right femur and broken left tibia at St. Mary’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Grand Junction, said Ashley Ellis, the boy’s mother.

Ashley Ellis, who is at the hospital with the boy’s father while the surgery takes place, said doctors reassured her that her son should heal well after the surgery.

“We’re just happy that he doesn’t have any head injuries or internal injuries,” she said.

Craig Police Department Chief Walt Vanatta said Eli Ellis was riding his bicycle south in the northbound lane of Finley when he collided with the left-front quarter panel of a car making a right-hand turn onto Ninth Street. The vehicle was driven by a 16-year-old male.

Eli Ellis was not wearing a helmet.

“The impression that we get from most of the witnesses is that the bike hit the car,” Vanatta said.

Ashley Ellis said she was panicked when she got the call that her son had been injured, but added she wasn’t totally shocked.

“He’s a daredevil,” she said.

The injured boy received plenty of support from family — “bones heal and besides that, chicks dig scars,” was his uncle’s consolation, according to Ashley Ellis.

The Craig community has been a great source of comfort, and she is thankful for the support, Ashley Ellis said.