A duck hunter from Arkansas was almost beheaded by a bridge while boating during a hunting trip. Since 21-year-old Ben Whorton has been recovering in the hospital since the accident on January 10, he has made some major improvements.
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21-Year-Old Suffers Brain Injuries After Nearly Beheaded By Bridge
While cruising under a bridge on his boat, Ben suffered from a severe brain injury due to him lifting his head too soon. His friend Zac Raines witnessed the terrifying ordeal and recalled what happened, as reported by Fox16.
"On our way out, we were going up underneath a bridge, and Ben raised his head a little too soon," he described. Zac rushed to resuscitate his friend using mouth-to-mouth and had to make the tough call to Ben's parents.
Immediately upon receiving the call, his parents began driving to their destination. It was difficult for first responders to get to the injured man due to the heavy snowfall. Eventually, they brought him to the hospital despite the bad weather conditions.
For the past seven weeks, Ben has been slowly recovering in the ICU at UAMS. It has been tough for his parents to watch him go through this health scare, especially his mother.
The Road To Recovery Continues On
Amy Whorton spoke to KATV7 and revealed some of her son's obstacles within the past few weeks. "Those weeks we kind of spent precariously hanging onto life somewhat where we had lung issues that were life-threatening," she said.
The family is now relieved that within the past week, Ben became stable enough for doctors to transport him. He's now recovering at a Houston trauma center for specialized treatment. Receiving care at TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehab Center is a huge step for Ben. Now, the next stage is getting Ben out of his coma.
Part of the waking up process is getting him out of bed and putting him in his wheelchair, as his father Greg described. "It has been amazing and certainly lifted our spirits and helped strengthen our faith."
His family couldn't have gone through this alone, and they were lucky to have help. They never imagined that they'd eventually get more than 25,000 members to join a
Facebook group in support of his recovery journey. The Whortons have used this page to update everyone on Ben, and the support has been enormous.
