When one of his closest friends died after being hit in a crosswalk, Joe Green took the podium at several Shoreline City Council meetings and demanded improved pedestrian safety.

Nearly three years later in a nearby crosswalk it was Green who was rushed to Harborview Medical Center after being struck by a motorist. The 14-year-old remains in a coma.

Green, the youngest of six, was supposed to start his freshman year at Shorecrest High School this fall. Since the March 2002 death of his good friend, 11-year-old Tia Townsend, Green has maintained a friendship with her father and participated in the traffic-safety foundation named after the girl.

"That kid has a heart of gold," Tia's father, David Townsend of Edmonds, said before a news conference at the hospital yesterday. "Joe really helped me along through all of this. He would come over, bring flowers and talk to me."

On the morning of July 20, a hit-and-run driver slammed into Green as he was using the crosswalk where the southbound Interstate 5 offramp meets North 175th Street, according to charging papers filed in King County Superior Court. Green crossed against the light, when the pedestrian crossing signal was red, and was hit by a car traveling about 35 mph, charging papers say.

Two drivers tailed the gray Oldsmobile until it stopped in a dead-end street. Eric King, of Bremerton, was on his way to court for an unrelated matter when he allegedly hit Green.

King, 20, has been charged with hit-and-run.

Though Green has been upgraded from critical to serious condition, doctors don't know what his future holds.

"Outcome is quality of life, not if you live or you die," said Dr. Randy Chesnut, director of neurotrauma at Harborview. "We know the extent of it, but we don't know the long-term consequences."

Green isn't following commands or interacting with people, but Chesnut hopes within a year he will be able to tell the full extent of the boy's injuries.

"We can't fix the brain; now it's up to him," Chesnut said. "He'll be a different person."

During the news conference, Green's father, Larry, begged people to drive slowly and pay attention to pedestrians.

"I can't even imagine what my son is going through," said the father, who owns a distribution route for Tim's Cascade Snacks.

Having such a large family means Joe has rarely been alone in the hospital. His relatives hold his hand, tell him they love him and watch for him to open his eyes or for him to respond, Larry Green said.

Green had been close with Tia Townsend since they were in kindergarten, Townsend said. He attended most of her birthday parties and often joined her when she swam in her grandparents' swimming pool.

"He brought a lot of awareness to the intersection where Tia died," Townsend said. "He commanded attention. He pointed out the city's flaws and what the city needed to do to make safer roads for him and other kids."

Since her death, the city has installed a flashing yellow light and flashing pavement lights at the intersection. Townsend reached a $600,000 settlement with the city of Shoreline.

Green raised money for the TIA (Traffic Intersection Awareness) foundation, took flowers to her gravesite and to 15th Avenue Northeast at Northeast 170th Street, the intersection where she was struck. Since its creation, the foundation has raised thousands of dollars to help families whose children have been struck by cars.

Shortly after 12-year-old Nick Messenger was struck in a busy Ballard intersection in February, Townsend got in contact with the boy's family.

The foundation has raised about $22,000 for Messenger's family. Townsend said the boy is at Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center. He is starting to regain his motor skills, can communicate with a "thumbs up" and is drinking out of a straw, Townsend said.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com