A couple is calling their 12-year-old son “miracle dude” after he was hit by an airplane on July 4th while body-boarding on a California beach with friends.

Nicholas Baer is currently recovering at Rady Children’s Hospital after being hit on Carlsbad State Beach by a plane making an emergency landing, according to a San Diego Union-Tribune report.

The plane, a Piper PA18 was able to make a successful landing, and the pilot wasn’t hurt, but young Nicholas wasn’t so lucky, suffering a concussion and a deep cut to the head that results in damage to his skull.

The plane, which took off from an airstrip in El Cajon, had lost engine power while it was towing a banner over the beach on Saturday, and the authorities are looking into the incident.

Nicholas had gone to the beach with some friends, and about an hour into the visit, the parents received a phone call that would be anyone’s worst nightmare: their son had been in an accident and was being taken to the hospital.

Nicholas required surgery for the skull injury, but fortunately the surgery went well despite the fact that seawater and contaminants had entered the wound and could lead to infection. The lining of the brain also wasn’t damaged.

The neurosurgeon who worked on the boy said that he was very optimistic that he will soon be back to enjoying the beach with his friends, although he’ll need to take a break from soccer and the junior lifeguard program for the time being.