The family of Irish student Pádraig Schaler, who was knocked from his bike in Cape Cod almost two years ago, has called for an independent investigation into the Cape Cod Police Department’s decision not to cite the driver, Mark Couto.

On June 27, 2013, 23-year-old Pádraig was hit by a 4.3 ton truck in Brewster while working in the area on a J-1 summer visa. He was left in a Minimally Conscious State (MCS).

In an open letter to the Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker and the Attorney General of Massachusetts Maura Healy, Pádraig's parents, Patricia and Reinhard, tell how he still requires 24-hour care and how their lives and the lives of the rest of the family have been turned “upside-down.”

The family believes that it was the aim of the local police department to “protect the local driver from prosecution” and that they carried out a “one-sided, biased and unprofessional investigation.”

In an attempt to recover some of the costs faced with meeting Pádraig’s massive medical bills, the family went through “a draining, lengthy and costly civil case” where the driver’s insurance was capped at $1 million when the total cost of the accident amounted to at least $11 million.

The family now wants another investigation to take place to ensure the safety and security of future J-1 students to the area.

The full letter can be read below or at this link: