I waited for riders as they crossed the track and ran at the speed of a nightmare! You know the one you can’t scream loud enough or run fast enough in? Each step sinking deeper and deeper into the soft sandy track, my heart sinking deeper and deeper, as I realized Easton was really hurt. I had heard Chad yelling “GOD PLEASE DON’T TAKE MY SON!” as I tripped and made my way to the ground where Chad was holding E. I can’t tell you fully what I felt in that moment, because I still don’t fully understand it, but I grabbed Chad and our baby boy and prayed my heart out! In that moment the EMT arrived and our worst nightmare was confirmed, he had no pulse, he wasn’t breathing and our son was lifeless.
There was a steep jump, followed by another jump. Easton had just fallen over after making it up the first jump, nothing serious, but when he stood up (facing incoming traffic), another rider was coming up over the jump and wasn’t able to see Easton! Please know as I am typing this out, tears are flowing down my face at a speed I can’t keep up with and it’s hard to see the letters that I am typing. This was a complete accident and as much as my heart hurts for my little boy, my heart broke in such a deep way for the young rider who had to pick up my baby, begging and screaming for him to wake up, after accidentally crashing into him.
Our best guess, is that Easton looked back to see if Chad and I saw him make it up the big hill, which caused him to fall over. He could have been in the process of getting up after falling over or as E started to pick up his bike, the accident happened.
The other rider’s tire upper-cut Easton’s jaw, sending him backwards, and then the bike had landed on his head & shoulders. When Chad got to him, seeing the blood pouring from his mouth, looking into his closed and unresponsive eyes, he took his helmet off and with the greatest heartache a parent could ever endure, he prayed for his son’s life. The EMT asked me to help slide Easton’s head & body up, as he had been laying down hill. I’m not entirely sure the chronological order of these events, but here is what I do know/remember. E’s jersey’s were cut off of him and we were able to get a C-collar around his neck. I had kept calling Easton’s name over and over again, yelling “EASTON RYAN!” The EMT had done 3 chest compressions & pumped air into his lungs, and later told me how he watched my son reach for me & start moaning when I called Ryan out to him! Ryan is Easton’s middle name, he got it from his uncle- Chad’s brother, and it’s typically the only way I can get him to listen to me.
At one point, I remember looking up and locking eyes with a hysterical young boy, filled with fear and crying so hard you could just feel his pain. I repeated “it’s ok,” “it’s going to be ok,” wishing I could comfort him. Seconds later, I noticed another man bent over E’s body with us and the fear on is face. I had also told him it was going to be ok, and asked “do you have your phone?” He said no, and I reassured him we would keep him updated on how Easton was. I didn’t fully understand who was surrounding us, but I saw the fear and absolute compassion of complete strangers, scared for our boy!
It’s not only painful to experience an accident yourself or with your own family, but watching helplessly, as another person or family experiences great pain is absolutely heartbreaking! Through this accident, we watched as God brought loving strangers into our lives who jumped in the pain with us, and held us up through prayer. This family stayed by our side as we worked on Easton’s little body and fought to bring him back to us. While moto families on the sidelines helped pack up our gear and bikes. I’m confident that mothers, fathers and families prayed for us and our son, as they watched EMT’s, paramedics, the fire department, sheriff’s and a helicopter land to help us. Community is a beautiful thing and I am so thankful for everyone who was there to help us!
