Trampoline accident paralyzes Westfield teen
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A devastating trampoline accident upended the lives of a Westfield family.
Corban Phillips, 16, broke his neck while practicing a gymnastics routine in August.
Phillips mother, April, said her son grew up playing baseball and rugby and recently began learning gymnastics. He became a gymnastics coach at Wright’s 360 in Westfield at the Grand Park Sports Campus.
“Anytime he was stressed and anxious, or just needed to get away, it was, ‘Hey, can I go meet the guys?’” April said.
On Aug. 24, Corban went to a friend’s house to practice a routine on a trampoline. He landed on his head, breaking his neck and compressing his spine.
“He couldn’t feel anything from the neck down and he was having a hard time breathing. He couldn’t feel his feet or his legs, or his arms or his hands,” April said.
The Westfield Fire Department responded fast and got Corban to the hospital. Doctors fused his spine together.
April said, “It’s been a nightmare. For your kid to be able to ask you when they are going to use their hands again, or cling to you when they can walk again and scream because they can’t feel anything.”
The Phillips family is facing mounting medical bills, and the reality of needed home modifications to accommodate Corban’s medical needs.
The Westfield Shamrocks Rugby Club, of which Corban is a part of, launched a fundraising account to help the family.
April said, “We’re hoping that we don’t have to stop at traditional rehab. We can move forward into treatments and therapies that would maximize his recovery.”
Corban’s sister Caelyn says she’s in awe of how her brother is fighting through the grueling recovery process. “He’s really really strong and can overcome this. I know there is so much going on, but he’s powering through it.”
Corban’s family says he will begin extended rehabilitation next week at Riley Hospital for Children in downtown Indianapolis.