Little League Player Hospitalized Following Accident in Williamsport
Easton Oliverson, a player on the Snow Canyon Little League baseball team, was hospitalized Monday morning after he took a fall in Williamsport, Penn., ahead of the Little League World Series, according to Little League International Baseball.
“On the morning of Monday, August 15, 2022, a player on the Mountain Region team from Snow Canyon Little League (Santa Clara, Utah) sustained an injury within the dormitory complex,” the statement read. “The player was transported to the Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital. At the request of his family, Little League International encourages all to join us in keeping the Snow Canyon Little League player and his family in our thoughts and prayers, as we wish for a full and complete recovery.
“Little League International will continue to use all available resources, including those provided by UPMC in North Central Pa., through the Player Wellness Center, to support the player, his family, and his coaches and teammates, as we navigate this unfortunate situation,” the statement continued.
Oliverson, 12, fell off the top of a bunk bed and was flown to the hospital for emergency surgery after a severe head injury, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
“He went through pretty traumatic surgery to get to where he’s at, but the doctors are all really positive,” Spencer Beck, Oliverson’s uncle, told the Tribune. “All of the steps moving forward have been good so far.”
One of Oliverson’s teammates heard him fall out of bed and quickly got help, and he is currently in the intensive care unit recovering as doctors wait for the swelling in his brain to go down. According to TMZ Sports, Oliverson fractured his skull and is in a medically induced coma.
Oliverson’s team will still compete in its first game of the Little League World Series in Williamsport on Friday—writing in a statement that Oliverson’s father, who’s a coach on the squad, wanted them to continue onward in the tournament, per TMZ.
“While our hearts are heavy, we are committed as a team to have an opportunity to take part in something that is only dreamt about by others,” the statement obtained by TMZ said.
Beck said the family has set up a Venmo account for Oliverson, @MiraclesForTank, to help with medical expenses. The team’s first game is scheduled to be on ESPN at 3 p.m. ET.