Local

Day care owner hopes for swift recovery for Tripp Halstead

WINDER, Ga. — The family of Tripp Halstead said they are trying to stay positive as the 2-year-old remains unconscious, trying to recover after a tree limb fell on him Monday.

Family members tell Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri Tripp's swelling is back up, but he's hanging in there.

That's the kind of emotional roller coaster family members have been on this week. They said they're hoping tonight is uneventful and Tripp can continue to heal.

"They said it was a big milestone to get to the 72-hour mark. We were hoping they were going to say he's going to make it. They're still not saying that," said Crystal Condon, Tripp's aunt.

Tripp Halstead's family is still focusing on the positive. Tripp is still here. In a Facebook post Thursday his father said doctors gave them sobering news.

"His injury is across both sides of the brain which makes it much worse. It is still far too early to know what the outcome will be or what the lasting damage could be," Tripp's father said in the post.

The 2-year-old is fighting a brain injury. He was playing behind his Winder day care when strong winds broke off a large tree limb which hit him on the head.

Thursday evening, Viteri saw a sign outside the day care asking people to please pray for little Tripp.

"We haven't heard since this morning, so we're anxious to get down there and see," day care owner Connie Wilbanks said.

Viteri talked with the Wlbanks as she and her sister loaded up their car with donations from the community for the Halstead family.

"Magazines, chips snacks and we have six more bags of things the community has brought over," Wendy Dickey, Wilbank's sister, said.

Wilbanks said she's made several trips to the hospital to support the family and they are anxiously waiting for news that he'll be OK.

"He's more beautiful in person. Smiling. Precious sweet boy," Wilbanks said.

In a Facebook post Thursday night, Tripp's mother said doctors decided against bringing him out of the coma this week.

"So he is going to rest for another week. Sleep tight my sweet, sweet baby boy," the post said.

While Viteri was in Winder Thursday she tracked down a nurse who was working next door to the day care at the time of Tripp's accident.

She told Viteri she rushed to perform CPR on the boy. Without her quick response family members don't believe Tripp would have survived.