By Joe Johnson
A Barrow County firefighter this week survived a tragic crash involving a dump truck that lost control. However, several of his family members who were in the car with him have been hospitalized with serious injuries. His 11-year-old son is fighting for his life with critical head injuries, and his father-in-law died at the scene.
Jeremy Dalton, a firefighter and EMT with Barrow County Emergency Services, and his family were driving home Friday from a water park in Hiawassee. His wife and daughter were traveling in one car.and Jeremy,, his 11-year-old son Hinton, 10-year-old nephew Gabe, and his father-in-law Mark Savage, 63, of Watkinsville were in another car.
A dump truck lost control on the road, hitting a the car the boys were in. Hinton and Gabe were airlifted to Children's Hospital of Atlanta Scottish Rite while Jeremy was airlifted to Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville. Mark, the father-in-law, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Hinton was placed in the ICU with a head injury.
Jeremy and Gabe appear to be making a recovery.
In just a few hours of existing, a GoFundMe created to help the Dalton family with the expected medical bills has almost reached its goal of $25,000.
The 41-year -old Watkinsville resident's wife and daughter were not involved in the wreck. Information on the condition of the dump truck driver has not been released.
On Sunday Amanda Dalton provided the following status report regarding her son:
The next 24 hours are going to be the most crucial. If we can have all our prayer warriors…the risk for his ICP (intracranial pressure) to elevate is at it highest. We have seen evidence his brain is starting to swell.. They can not give precedex bc it drops his blood pressure too much. They gave him plasma to keep his BP stable. So the only sedation he is on right now fentanyl and Ativan. And right now the options are for the doses to go higher if his ICP continues to rise, then the last case scenario is to add the high NA drip- which is so caustic to his veins and will blow the vein w just one bolus. We need prayers of request for God to keep his ICP low, and that we don’t need to add the high NA. God is so so good! We know He is with us and working. We have seen His goodness and mercy.
Matthew 18:19-20
For when two or theee gather in my name, there I am with them…to ask God in a symphony of prayer, my Heavenly Father will do it for you.
Update for Gabe:
Gabe was transferred to CHOA Eggleston yesterday and is still recovering from several extensive injuries during the accident. Gabe suffered a broken shoulder, perforated colon as well as a bruised aorta. Below is a link to Gabes donation page as well.