The parents of a 14-year-old Waukee girl in critical condition with a severe head injury are asking classmates, friends and family to pray for her recovery.

Taylor Hale of Waukee, a cheerleader and athlete at Prairieview School, is sedated and under monitoring at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines.

Lt. John Brodersen, public information officer for the Clive Police Department, said the investigation into the Friday night accident found no evidence that alcohol was involved.

The driver of the car, a 16-year-old boy from Urbandale who attends Waukee High School, has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing injury and with causing injury with a motor vehicle, Brodersen said. Patch generally does not print names of minors charged with crimes.

The police report said Hale and a friend were sitting on the hood of the boy's car in the 16100 block of Boston Parkway in Clive when he suddenly sped off, driving fast and swerving. Witnesses said the teens both landed on their feet, but Hale lost her balance and struck her head on the pavement. She was unconscious when she was taken to the hospital, Brodersen said.

The girl's parents, Chuck Hale and Stacy Henningsen, both of Waukee, are not giving media interviews, said Blank Children’s Hospital spokeswoman Amy Varcoe.

Taylor is a football cheerleader and on the volleyball and track team at Prairieview School, which houses ninth-graders in Waukee.

All the ninth-graders were given basic information about the accident Monday morning, said assistant superintendent Duane Magee.

“We asked the students if they had any useful information about the accident to come forward and we would put them in contact with law enforcement,” he said.

Students were also asked to stay focused on the facts and not share gossip or rumors, Magee said.

Administrators and additional counselors were at the school to talk to any students who felt the need. The boy who was charged later went to the Clive police station with his father for questioning, Brodersen said. However, on the advice of the family attorney, the teen did not make a statement to police.

The boy was released to his parents; the case is being turned over to Dallas County Juvenile Court.

“Because [he] did not make a statement, we don’t know what he was thinking or was trying to do at the time the accident happened,” Brodersen said. He said police do not know whether the boy was aware that Hale had been injured when he drove away.

A woman who answered the phone at the boy's home Monday said she did not feel comfortable talking about the situation and did not identify herself.

A fund to help Taylor's family with medical expenses has been set up, and a fundraiser is being planned at the school. Click here for donation information.

A web page established on behalf of the Hale family says Taylor is sedated to allow her to heal and that only her parents may visit her room, although friends may stop by the hospital to share their get-well wishes with family and friends. The page contains this information for visitors:

 “At this point please continue to pray for Taylor's recovery. Also share prayers for Taylor's family and friends during this time of crisis. … Taylor is a loving, caring, free spirit, who is always quick with a smile and a helpful hand whenever its needed. Those who know Taylor realize how lucky they are to have her in their lives, and those who meet Taylor are quick to realize how special a person Taylor really is. Even though Taylor's situation is very serious, we all hope and pray that Taylor's recovery process is swift and compete to where we can take her home and let her resume her brightening of all our lives.”