A GoFundMe account has been started for a five-year-old critically injured after a hay wagon overturned during a preschool field trip to a Wisconsin apple orchard this week.
On Wednesday, five-year-old Gabe Mier was on the field trip with his parents, Angie and Will and his grandfather, Bob Schmick chaperoning when a tractor-pulled hay wagon overturned on a hill injuring at least 17 people — both children and adults — who were rushed from the scene near Chippewa Falls by ambulance.
A GoFundMe account, was set up for Gabe who was the sole person airlifted to Regions Hospital in St Paul where he underwent surgery for a fractured skull.
“Like most of us, Angie and Will have a very tight family budget,” read a message on the account. “They are a wonderfully loving family, and a tragedy like this can put them out of work for a considerable amount of time. …So please send something small to help them through this and to help pay the bills while they are caring for their wonderful son.”
The fundraising account had taken in nearly $35,000 as of Friday afternoon.
On Thursday, organizers gave an update of the boy’s condition saying, “As of right now, Gabe is undergoing more testing tomorrow morning. He is in a full neck brace, and isn’t able to move a ton. However, he was cracking jokes with his Bumpa and Auntie on and off most of the day … Angie and Will are healing well. Lots of bumps and bruises, new glasses will be ordered, bandages used and replaced, but overall they are thankful for God protecting Gabe and the doctors taking such great care of him.”
WQOW-TV in Eau Claire identified the prekindergarten school as St. Mark Lutheran Church in Eau Claire.
During a news conference, Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes said the wagon ride took place Wednesday morning at an orchard in Lafayette. Two wagons were being pulled by a tractor on the orchard’s property when one of the wagons overturned on a downhill slope. KSTP-TV identified the business as the Bushel and a Peck Apple Orchard.
“It’s a parent’s greatest fear that something like that happens to their children, especially when they’re young like that,” Hakes said. “The children were extremely brave, very resilient. … The chaperones and the parents that were at the scene had plans, they had a list of children and contact information that was instrumental in reuniting the parents with the children.”
In addition to the three victims with life-threatening injuries, five people suffered serious injuries. The condition of the other victims was unknown on Friday afternoon.
The incident remains under investigation.
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