A 15-year-old cheerleader is in ICU in Oklahoma following an accident at a football field. Jenessa Thompson of Cyril, Oklahoma, posed with her teammates in front of a goalpost on Monday to take a photo. However, the uprights collapsed and landed on her head.
According to KFOR, Thompson laid on the ground for the photo while her teammates crawled onto the crossbar. The structure collapsed and pinned Thompson to the ground. Her grandmother, Debbie Thompson, received a phone call from another granddaughter that told her to get to the football field. Debbie ran the five blocks and arrived to see Thompson in the arms of one of her cheer coaches.
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“She wasn’t responsive that I could tell her little arms were limp,” said Debbie. “She was moaning but pretty much unconscious. She was pinned to the ground. A lot of blood, the ambulance came, and they said they needed to call the chopper.”
A helicopter took Thompson to the OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City. Her family made the trip to the hospital along with several members from the small community of Cyril who gathered in the parking lot to show support while the family waited for an update from the medical team.
“They said they couldn’t find any brain bleeds,” Debbie said. “That was a real honest to goodness hallelujah, God is good, that’s when the tears came, that’s when we cried and everybody was jumping up and down. It’s just a freak accident it’s nothing that anybody could’ve foreseen.”
According to the family, Thompson was awake and talking as of Monday night. They said that she would remain in the ICU for a couple of days as the doctors searched for any issues. For now, the family said that Thompson will likely have a broken or dislocated jaw, but the incident could have had a far worse outcome.
Following the accident at the football field, a person named Brandon Thompson created a GoFundMe to raise funds for Thompson’s family. The initial goal was $2,000 but 35 people quickly surpassed the mark. As of Wednesday, the campaign raised $2,302.
“Jenessa Thompson was involved in a tragic accident while taking a photo with her cheer group,” the campaign description said. “A football goal post fell and struck her on the head causing serious injuries. Jenessa is the first person to help everyone so this fundraiser is designed to show her the same love she shows everyone else.”
