An Orillia boy is expected to make a full recovery after suffering serious injuries when he was struck by a vehicle Thursday.
Six-year-old Wyatt Thompson, his baby sister, Octavia, his mother, Candace, and her friend, Maria, were hit by a vehicle while walking out of Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital on Mississaga Street at about noon on Aug. 24.
Thompson’s aunt, Andrea Marie, says the driver allegedly hit the gas pedal instead of the brake accidentally and struck the family attempting to cross the road.
Octavia, Candace and Maria have since been released from hospital after suffering minor injuries, but Thompson took the worst of it. He was airlifted to SickKids Hospital in Toronto, where he was diagnosed with skull fractures, L2/3 vertebrae break, and liver and spleen lacerations.
“He was lowest to the ground,” Marie explained. “The car was right on top of him at one point. He was run over.”
On their way to the Toronto hospital, Marie says, the family feared for Thompson’s life.
“All we knew was he was in an Ornge (air) ambulance on his way to SickKids,” she said. “We heard in the news that he has serious injuries and that’s when we started driving a little faster.”
To help Thompson’s family at a time when they will need to be off work to care for him, Marie created a GoFundMe Thursday afternoon. The fundraising goal was $1,000, and it has raised more than $7,300.
“The support is overwhelming,” Marie said. “It’s going to allow for us to take care of Wyatt, Maria and Candace for however long they need.”
Thompson may require a brace for his vertebrae injury, and his family needs money to stay with him in Toronto for what will be a long road of medical appointments and procedures.
“Without knowing what is going to happen, we don’t know when work is going to happen again for everybody,” Marie said. “The community has ensured that for the coming weeks, we won’t have to worry about those things, which is a huge weight off our shoulders.”
Thompson underwent a minor surgery for “superficial injuries” Thursday night. Despite his pain, he is in good spirits, Marie says.
“He’s a little loopy,” she said. “He’s such a strong kid and his resilience has been incredible.”
