Leads Analysis
A 14-year-old boy was in surgery at Regions Hospital in St. Paul after he was hit by a vehicle while riding his bike to school, said Lt. Brian Sturgeon of the West St. Paul Police Department. -Star Tribune
I think this lead does work for the story. It gives most of the facts up front leaving the reader with minimal questions as to what the story is about. Several news elements are sated in the lead; such as Who? (the 14-year-old boy), Where? (St. Paul), What? (hit by a vehicle), The only element that is missing is the When? There is no day indicating when the event happened. I think the writer should have definitely included this as it is a pretty important element. The lead also does give other interesting facts that the reader would probably want to know, which is why the day might have been left out. The writer obviously thought the fact that the boy had surgery and was in the hospital was more important. I do, however, think the day should have been included anyways.
Aside from the day not being stated, I think the lead works. It's very factual, informative, giving detailed descriptions of the event. It doesn't go too into detail which is a good thing as you are supposed to give specific details after the lead.