A young child from Denver, Colorado, sustained severe injuries, including a cracked skull, after falling off a horse in Belize during a stop on his family’s dream cruise trip.
Stefan Keryan and his family were on a Carnival Cruise ship that arrived last week in Belize, where they opted to go on an excursion to the Howler Monkey Sanctuary, Denver 7 reported.
The tour featured a horseback ride, the boy’s mom Heidi Keryan told the newspaper.
But the ride took a terrifying turn when the horse was scared and took off running.
“When I heard shouting, I turned around. I saw this horse coming from where everybody goes to go on the trail … back down the road towards us,” the frightened mother told the site.
“And as it’s running past I see that the saddle is flipped, and my son is being dragged by his foot,” she recounted. “My older daughter and I, you know, started yelling and screaming and sprinting as fast as we could to get to him. But the horse was incredibly fast.”
The mother reported that someone got into a car and ultimately halted the running animal.
Stefan Keryan, 8, sustained a skull fracture, third-degree burns and lost a part of his scalp in the terrible tragedy, his family reported.
Stefan got dragged “because the tour leader fastened one foot to the stirrup,” according to a GoFundMe account that has raised more than $67,000.
He sustained third-degree friction burns on his back, arms and legs — and also “lost a major section of his scalp, requiring plastic surgery,” according to the family’s fundraising.
“A CT scan showed a skull fracture and a slight bruise at the back of his head, but happily, there was no brain damage,” it claimed.
With support from money received, Stefan was ultimately flown from a Belize hospital and returned to the US on Sunday.
A photo provided by Peak Medevac on Facebook depicts the child returning to Denver aboard a private jet.
Colorado-based Peak Medevac flew the kid back to Denver for free.
The owner of the company, affected by tales of the young boy’s tragic fall, reportedly volunteered to fly Stefan home for free.
“My child is finally back home. Heidi posted on Facebook on Monday, “Words cannot express the gratitude I have for all the angels and heroes that helped save my kid.
She commented beside a photo of Stefan in a hospital bed, “We will get through the rest because he is receiving the greatest possible care at the children’s hospital.”
During a trip to a monkey sanctuary, Stefan was thrown off his horse when it became startled, according to his relatives.
In a previous interview conducted while her son was still hospitalized in Belize, the mother stated, “People have been incredible to us. “Strangers have come up to us and cried with us, prayed with us, and brought us flowers and food, and the hospital staff saved his life.”
However, she was concerned that the local medical center lacked the specialized equipment and specialists her kid needs.
“This morning, he was sobbing and pleading with me to take him home. “All he wants to do is go home,” the mother said soon before Peak Medevac arrived.
“As a mom, it’s the most crucial thing. I cannot stop thinking about it. I will do whatever it takes to survive. I care only about his survival,” she told the channel.
“My child is finally back home. “Words cannot describe my appreciation to the angels and (heroes) who helped save my son,” posted Heidi Keryan on Facebook.
On Monday, Denver 7 reporter Kristian Lopez posted a video of a mob of fans, including his Orchard Park Academy teachers, holding placards as the plane landed. The school community helped gather money for the evacuation before Peak Medevac paid the flight.
Carisa Olmos, one of his teachers, told KDVR, “I was startled and my heart was crushed. I was afraid for him and scared for the situation, and I felt that we needed an immediate plan to help him with all hands on deck.”
“When we began speaking with his mother, we saw that his mother’s efforts to bring him back to receive medical care were failing,” she added. Therefore, we communicated with her as a team. We made phone calls and tried a variety of methods, but the primary focus was promoting the GoFundMe page.
Olmos praised Stefan as “very charitable, he has the kindest soul.”
She continued, “He is incredibly brilliant.” “He is always acquiring new knowledge, enjoys a challenge, and never gives up. I can’t wait for him to reach his full potential since he is someone you always want to work with and see improve.
Carnival did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
»Denver child, 8, sustains severe injuries in Belize horse fall«