FORT WORTH, Texas — A 13-year old boy is recovering in the hospital after a serious four-wheeler crash left him unconscious for days.
A CareFlite helicopter took Tyson Parks from Boyd to Cook Children’s Hospital last month with a broken neck and injuries to his shoulder, eyes and knees.
“As a parent, it’s the hardest thing you can do to see your child helpless like that. It’s just gut-wrenching,” Tyson’s father Justin Parks said. “We kept talking to him and letting him know we were there even though he wasn’t coherent.”
Saturday, Tyson took a big step forward, literally. It was the first time he’s walked in a week.
“I mean, he’s just impressive. He really is,” Tyson’s mother Nicole Bennett said.
The most concerning injury is the brain damage Tyson sustained in the crash.
“When he first woke up, he just said, 'Mom,' and he didn’t know who Dad was,” Bennett said.
“We’re just overwhelmed we have our son. He’s alive. He’s making progress,” Parks said.
Tyson was with a friend when the crash happened. His parents say there should’ve been more safety and supervision.
“He should not have been on a county road on a four-wheeler at 13 years old,” Bennett said.
From Facebook posts to two different GoFundMe pages, the family has been surrounded by support.
“You know a lot of people because your town is small, but wow,” Bennett said.
Right now, there’s still faith the 7th grader described as a class clown will keep laughing.
“You can’t lose hope because if you lose hope, then where does he get it from?" Parks said.