Two year old boy suffered a traumatic brain injury after a tree branch crashed down on him.
Last October, two year old Tripp Halstead of Georgia sustained a critical brain injury during Hurricane Sandy. The toddler’s skull was shattered after a tree branch crashed down on him during the storm. Since the accident, Tripp has undergone over a dozen surgeries and faced complications including bacterial infections, flu, and meningitis. He is unable to walk or talk, cannot make basic facial expressions, and is unable to eat solid food. The toddler requires extensive therapy – his mother quit her job in order to take care of Tripp full time and in order to oversee his medical care.
Family’s Facebook page inspires couple to raise over $150,00 for the toddler.
Since Tripp’s accident occurred, his family has posted regular updates about his condition and progress on a Facebook page entitled, “Tripp Halstead Updates”. To date, the page has over 750,000 followers. When New York couple David and Kaete Nazaroff, who have a child that is the same age as Tripp, came upon the Facebook page and read the posts about Tripp’s condition, they were inspired to do something to help the Halstead family. Through their fundraising efforts, the Nazaroffs were able to raise over $150,000 for the Halstead family.
Husband biked 900 miles to deliver money to the injured boy’s family.
David Nazaroff then traveled 900 miles over the course of six days on a solo bike ride from his home in New York to Jefferson, Georgia in order to deliver the money he and his wife helped raise to the Halsteads. David even pulled Tripp for the final mile of the journey. The Nazaroffs named the bike ride, “The Toga Multisport Ride to Give” and encouraged donations through the use of a Facebook page which featured special donation days such as, “Two for Tripp Tuesdays”. They plan on organizing similar rides annually for other children who have sustained serious injuries.
Over 1.7 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury every year.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries occur every year. In addition, traumatic brain injuries are at least a contributing factor in about one third of all injury related deaths. The risk of sustaining a traumatic brain injury is highest among children between the ages of 0 and 4, teenagers between 15 and 19 years old, and adults older than 65. Furthermore, males are more likely to sustain traumatic brain injuries than their female counterparts. In 2000, the cost of traumatic brain injuries, including both direct and indirect medical costs, totaled in excess of $76 billion.
If you or a loved one has suffered from a traumatic brain injury, you should contact an attorney immediately. An attorney will be able to review the facts of your case to determine whether another party may be liable for your injuries. If so, your attorney will be able to help you receive the compensation you deserve.