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7-Year-Old Was Seriously Injured After Car Crash. His Family Credits Bystanders for Saving His Life
Two bystanders pulled the boy out of the car and quickly began administering CPR, according to the child's fatherNEED TO KNOW
Two bystanders are being credited with helping save the life of a 7-year-old boy who was involved in a serious car crash in Ohio
The bystanders performed CPR on Michael Askin after he and his mom were injured in the crash on Columbia Parkway on Wednesday, Aug. 6
"If it wasn't for you, my son, he wouldn't be here at all," the boy's father said, according to a local news stationFamily members are thanking two bystanders who they say helped save the life of a 7-year-old boy who was involved in a serious crash on an Ohio highway.
The crash occurred on Columbia Parkway around 4:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Aug. 6, according to NBC affiliate WLWT and CBS affiliate WKRC.
Police reportedly said a 25-year-old woman was driving a Honda westbound on the roadway when she crossed the center line and hit a Volvo being driven by a 34-year-old woman.
Cincinnati Fire and EMS shared a photo on X of the wreckage, which showed a white car flipped on its left side and a black car with its front end smashed in.
A 7-year-old boy who was in the back of the 25-year-old woman's vehicle sustained life-threatening injuries in the crash, WLWT reported.
Michael Askin told ABC affiliate WCPO that the boy is his son, who is also named Michael.
Two bystanders pulled the boy out of the car and quickly began administering CPR, according to Askin. The child's injuries included three spinal fractures, a lacerated abdominal aorta and brain swelling.
Michael was later transported to Cincinnati Children's Hospital, where he received treatment for his injuries, according to WCPO. He also had most of his small intestine removed and received a blood transfusion.
With his son now in stable condition, the dad is thanking the two men who stepped in to save his child.
"If it wasn't for you, my son, he wouldn't be here at all, fighting what he's fighting right now," he said. "So, thank you."
Ashley Meucci — who organized a GoFundMe campaign to support her son, daughter-in-law and grandson — also thanked those who helped her loved ones survive.
'Thanks to the amazing souls who performed CPR on my grandson until EMS arrived because he was not breathing,' she wrote in the description of the online fundraiser, 'thanks to the EMS squad who intubated him and started breathing, and thanks to the amazing doctors and nurses at Children's Hospital who single-handedly resuscitated him, repaired his laceration, and continue to do their best for the best possible outcome for him!'
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Meucci described her grandson as an 'active' and 'loving' child who is active in both football and basketball at JF Dulles Elementary School in Oak Hills. She said he will soon be in the second grade.
'He loves playing Fortnite and Roblox and cheering on Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase every Sunday during football season,' she added.
Jonni Evans, Askin's girlfriend who is also Michael's mom, sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the crash, including a broken hip, knee, ankle, femur and shoulder, according to the GoFundMe campaign.
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More than $18,000 has been raised through the online fundraiser as of Tuesday, Aug. 12. Meucci said her daughter-in-law and grandson have a 'long' road to recovery and 'can use all the help they can get.'
'Please, if you are able to help them out or just share, we will be most grateful,' Meucci wrote. 'Anything extra will go to their long road to recovery as we don't know when they will be able to return to work.'
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