Riding dirt bikes, jumping on the trampoline, and playing sports with his older brother, nine-year-old Carter Casey of Sod, West Virginia loves anything that takes him outside. So, he was thrilled when his family went on a camping trip in Kanawha County over Fourth of July weekend in 2024.
What was supposed to be a weekend of outdoor fun with friends turned into an ordeal that made the Casey family realize just how precious life can be.
Carter and a friend were riding go-karts on a path away from the campsite. When the adult riding with them stopped for a break, the kids decided to take one more lap. The boys veered off the road and ran into a gate.
“We could hear the go-kart, but we couldn’t see them,” Nia, Carter’s mom, said. “Our friend who was with them came down and said, ‘Carter’s hurt.’ Carter gets hurt all the time. He trips, falls, scratches his knee. It’s usually not that bad. We didn’t think anything of it until he said, ‘he’s probably going to have to go to the hospital.’”
When Carter came into view, Nia remembers the entire camp erupting into chaos.
She could see a hole in Carter’s shirt, but no one yet realized how severe his injuries were.
“I could feel Carter’s chest,” Nia said. “I could feel air coming out of his lung, out of the side of his body.”
The Caseys’ friend was on the phone with 911, trying to coordinate a meeting spot for paramedics. With help from dispatch, they were guided to a local fire department.
Carter had severe crush injuries and was taken to WVU Medicine Thomas Memorial Hospital.
“The impact was so strong that the ribs broke and the ends of the rib pierced the lungs, and that with the compression led to severe injury and bleeding,” Federico Seifarth, MD, FAAP, FACS, surgeon-in-chief at WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s, explained. “He had what we call a flail chest. With each breath, you have one portion of the chest wall moving independently. So, that has a severe impact on the ability to breathe.”
Carter was intubated and taken into surgery. That was the last time Nia would talk to him for several days.
After emergency surgery, Carter was transported by ambulance to WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital in Morgantown for continued treatment of his injuries.
The next three days were full of worry for the Casey family. Carter underwent additional surgeries and was sedated on a ventilator in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
“He had a life-threatening injury,” Dr. Seifarth explained. “Thankfully, the heart was not affected. It was compressed but not injured. We had ribs that were broken in different portions, and they needed to be bridged with a small metal plate, reconstructing the chest and allowing stability to breathe.”
Carter spent a total of eight days in the hospital. After more recovery time at home, he was able to return to the outdoor activities he loves. He’s playing football again and has even returned to riding dirt bikes.
“We see this as more than a job. We see this as a dedication to life,” Seifarth said. “Everybody who gets in touch with a patient with such a story gets a lot in return. That makes this, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful occupations in the world, dealing with children and to see them getting better and thriving.”
Carter continues to see his care team for follow-up appointments and enjoys staying in touch with the people who saved his life.
“If they weren’t there, then I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “Thank you for saving my life. I love you.”
