SPOKANE, Washington - An eight-year-old boy is recovering at Sacred Heart Medical Center after being involved in a car crash in Montana on January 13.
Joe McHale, a reporter from our affiliate station KHQ, reports that Landon Gates was in the car with his mother, her boyfriend and his two siblings when they were T-boned on the East Side Highway on their way to church.
Landon was airlifted to Sacred Heart following the accident, according to his aunt, Ashley Robertson on Landon's Go Fund Me page.
Joe McHale reports that Landon suffered brain damage during the crash, but has since started breathing on his own. His family says a probe for monitoring Landon's brain was also taken out of his skull, the swelling has gone down and the antibiotics for pneumonia are working.
Landon's parents spoke with Joe McHale about Landon.
"Right before the accident the last thing Landon said was 'I love you Mom, I love you Ashton, I love you Remi, I love you Ike," said Landon's mother, Samii Berner. "It's just his spirit. That's how he is. He is so loving and caring."
"He's such a fighter," Berner added. "You can tell he's trying to open his eyes. He's just hanging in there."
"He's the daredevil," said Landon's father, Michael Gates. "He's wild, takes risks, the joker."
With medical bills mounting up, the family has started a GoFundMe page to help. The family has already raised over $13,000.
Gates says the money will be used for medical bills, hotels, food and travel. Berner says they are thankful for all the support and is asking for continued prayers for Landon's recovery.
The latest update on the Go Fund Me page says, "he (Landon) brought his hand up to his eye and started to rub it and then opened his eyes halfway and blinked a little before closing them again!!!! He's still not fully awake but he is making small steps every day to get there. Thank you from the bottom of all our hearts for being so faithful in your prayers for our little cowboy!"
