A 21-year-old Georgia father has sadly become paralyzed after a tree branch fell on his head. He had been working on a tree when a dead branch fell from the tree and struck him.
It weighed about 25 pounds and broke his neck on impact. According to NBC affiliate WXIA and ABC affiliate WSB, the incident left him paralyzed. Evan Parker is recovering in the hospital.
"No one ever expects this, and when this happens, you have to hold yourself together," Laren Parker, Evan's father, told WSB.
According to his family, he is now awake.
"Even through all of this, when he is awake, he's trying to keep us calm," Kesha Guzman, Evan's mother, told WXIA. "He's trying to keep us happy and laughing, and that's Evan."
Things could have been much worse. Evan was wearing a helmet when the tree limb hit him.
Tree Branch Causes Accident
"He is the typical tree guy that loves their job and loves climbing trees and wants to climb trees like all the time," Kasey Jackson, a cousin, told local station WNAF. "At least he was doing something he loved, right when the accident happened."
"Evan's journey ahead will be challenging. He will need extensive medical care, ongoing rehabilitation, and specialized mobility equipment to help him adapt to his new reality," read a message on the fundraiser. "The costs for these essential needs are overwhelming, and his family is doing everything they can to support him. Every donation will go directly toward Evan's medical expenses, rehabilitation, and the equipment that will help him regain some independence and quality of life."
Dakota Roberts, the owner of Southern Roots Tree Service, released a statement about the incident.
"Years ago Evan found out his loving girlfriend was pregnant with their beautiful baby boy," he said, per WXIA. "Evan knew he had to do something bigger to provide for his family. He came to me and asked for work so I let him split firewood. Over time I let him work some tree jobs with me and also got him in connection with some other people to work with as well."
