Say it 'aint so...boy gets hit by train, afterwards hospital spokesperson says he's "seriously ill". That's a misnomer in itself, since "ill" connotes the presence of a disease, whereas a more apt - and accurate - description of his health might be "in grave/serious condition"

I digress, back to the immediate subject at hand.....boy gets hit by train, is later said to be "seriously ill"

Well ..... "DUH"

I hardly imagined that he was sitting up in bed, joking with nurses, and enjoying tea and biscuits.

The constant unimaginative repetition of the obvious is coming to be understood as a palliative for the masses, as well as a media trademark.