Little League World Series player from Utah hospitalized, in coma after falling from bunk bed
A player from the Utah Little League team that reached the Little League World Series was hospitalized Monday after falling from a bunk bed in Williamsport.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported Monday that 12-year-old Easton Oliverson was flown to a Pennsylvania hospital for surgery after falling off the top bunk. The family was notified of the incident around 2:30 a.m. MT (4:30 a.m. ET).
Spencer Beck, Oliverson’s uncle, told TMZ Sports Oliverson suffered a fractured skull and is in a medically induced coma. On Tuesday, Oliverson’s family told TMZ Sports that he is showing positive signs of recovery.
“Just 36 hours ago, Easton was 30 minutes from death,” the family told TMZ Sports. “Now 36 hours later he has a team of Trauma 1 doctors who are absolutely amazed by his tremendous progress.
One of his doctors said he did everything Easton set out to do in the past 12 hours and more.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that one of Oliverson’s teammates woke up after Oliverson fell out of the bunk bed in the Williamsport dormitory and called for help. Oliverson, whose nickname is Tank, was taken to a children’s hospital and had emergency surgery. He recovered in intensive care while doctors waited for the swelling in his brain to go down.
“If that other player hadn’t woken up from his fall, he might not have made it,” Beck told the Salt Lake Tribune.
The Snow Canyon Little League All-Star team made history this year by becoming the first Utah team to reach the Little League World Series.
The team went 3-0 during the game in the mountainous region. It was the first year the mountain region existed. Previously, Utah was part of the Western Region, which included Arizona, Nevada, Northern California, Southern California, and Hawaii.
“It’s still kind of surreal to be the first team from Utah and the first team from the mountains. I think it’s going to take some time to kick in,” head coach Mark Ence told The Spectrum. “I’m just proud of the coaches. I couldn’t be here without our other two coaches and I’m proud of the kids because they’re resilient. We started two of the three games from a loss and had to come back.”
Beck told the Salt Lake Tribune that the team was still practicing because “I’m sure Easton would want that.” The team’s first game will be on Friday at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Jace Oliverson, Easton Oliverson’s father and one of the team’s coaches, told the Snow Canyon Little League to stay in the tournament, according to TMZ Sports.
“Though our hearts are heavy, as a team we are committed to having the opportunity to participate in something others only dream of,” the team said in a statement, according to TMZ Sports.