The 5-year-old girl who was critically injured in a crash involving former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid three days before the Super Bowl likely has permanent brain damage, according to the family’s attorney.
Ariel Young, who has been hospitalized since the Feb. 4 collision near Arrowhead Stadium, emerged from a coma nearly two weeks after the accident.
»PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Girl, 5, awakes from coma after crash involving Chiefs coach
“She’s awake, which is a huge development,” attorney Tom Porto said in an interview Tuesday with ABC News. “Likely, she has permanent brain damage that she will endure for the rest of her life. She’s not walking. It’s a sad, sad story.”
The girl will be confined to a “wheelchair for the foreseeable future,” family members announced Tuesday on a GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $529,000 to pay for her medical expenses.
“We don’t know how long it will take before she responds or talks again, but we will never give up hope,” said Tiffany Verhulst, the child’s aunt.
Britt Reid, the son of Chiefs coach Andy Reid, slammed his pickup truck into two vehicles on the side of a highway entrance ramp, injuring Ariel and a 4-year-old cousin inside one of the cars, according to reports. The 4-year-old girl’s injuries were non-life threatening.
Credit: Mark Brown
Credit: Mark Brown
Reid allegedly hit the first car, which had run out of gas, and then careened into the second vehicle occupied by the girls’ other relatives, reports said. After the crash, a woman climbed out of the second car and exhorted Reid to call authorities.
Reid has not been charged in the case but remains under investigation for suspicion of driving while intoxicated. He told investigators he had “two or three drinks” and had a prescription for Adderall at the time of the crash, according to The Associated Press.
A report by WDAF in Kansas City said officers at the scene noted Reid’s eyes were bloodshot and that he reeked of alcohol. After a field sobriety test, Reid’s blood was drawn for further examination, reports said. Those tests are expected to take about a month or more to complete.
The outside linebackers coach, who joined the Chiefs the same year his father was hired as head coach in 2013, was placed on administrative leave immediately following the crash but is no longer employed by the team. His contract expired in the days following the crash and was not renewed.
After the accident, Reid did not travel with the team to Tampa Bay for the Super Bowl, and he underwent surgery for injuries not detailed by the team.
Porto said Tuesday that he believes Reid should “absolutely” face charges in the crash.
“We’re going to be advocating for the most serious charges and the most serious sentence that Britt Reid could receive,” he said.
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