Boy Dies 5 Years After Suffering Traumatic Brain Injury From Falling Tree Branch

A 7-year-old boy from Georgia has died five years after suffering a traumatic brain injury from a falling tree branch.

Tripp Halstead, 7, passed away on Thursday, March 17, in a hospital near Atlanta after fighting an infection. His death came just five years after he suffered a traumatic brain injury from a falling tree branch.

In October 2012, when Tripp was 2 years old, a 10-foot tree branch fell during heavy wind gusts caused by Hurricane Sandy, hitting the toddler in the neck and head while he was at the playground of his day care, the Daily Mail reports. Employees from the day care center rushed to his aid and he was transported to the hospital, where he remained in a coma for weeks and was discharged 10 months later.

Stacy Halstead, Tripp’s mother, said in a post to a Facebook page dedicated to Tripp and his journey that she discovered that the 7-year-old’s breathing was labored Thursday morning and she rushed him to a hospital in Athens, Georgia. There, doctor’s performed blood work, did X-rays, and put him on an IV. His oxygen levels were low and his carbon dioxide levels were high.

“They said his left lung was Cloudy and it could be pneumonia or a mucus plug,” she wrote.

Later that night, Halstead posted an update informing followers that Tripp had passed away.

“There are no words to express how Bill and I are feeling at this moment. We are beyond devastated and honestly I believe I am in shock. Our amazing, perfect, beautiful miracle of a son, Tripp Hughes Halstead passed away at 5:47 pm today. He was our whole world,” she wrote. “We love you Trippadoo and you will never realize the impact you made on our lives.”

“Bill and I were in the room when he passed at the hospital. His little body was just done fighting this last infection. His little heart gave out. This winter was brutal for him. I’m just so thankful he had the best summer ever. Jet skis, Disney World, the list is endless and that’s when we got those amazing huge smiles,” she added.

The family had been using the Facebook page, which had nearly 1.5 million followers, to keep the public aware of Tripp’s progress.