Teen San Antonio Spurs Fan In Critical Condition After Fall During Western Conference Finals Celebrations
The Spurs are going to the NBA Finals. In San Antonio, the city is celebrating. And one family is in a hospital waiting room, hoping doctors find brain activity in their 17-year-old.
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 on Saturday night to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in years. Victor Wembanyama was brilliant. The city erupted. And somewhere in the middle of those celebrations, a 17-year-old Spurs fan fell from a moving vehicle, his head hit a curb, and the night turned into something nobody wanted it to become.
The teenager was out in San Antonio celebrating the team's Game 6 win over Oklahoma City on Thursday, before the Spurs formally closed out the series on Saturday. He fell from a vehicle during those street celebrations, according to Fox San Antonio, and was rushed to hospital with severe brain swelling. He was placed on life support.
Yvonne Hudson, a family member, spoke to Fox San Antonio about his condition. "The doctors have been running tests to see if he has any further brain activity," she said. "We don't want doctors to give up on him yet since his heart is beating on its own."
What the Family Is Facing
The teenager was reported to have been gone from the scene for approximately eight minutes before the incident occurred. The severity of the injuries, described as catastrophic by family members, put the full weight of what street celebrations can become in front of a city that was otherwise in the middle of one of the best nights in recent memory.
The family has not released the teen's name. As of Sunday morning, he remains on life support in critical condition.
The Police Response
The San Antonio Police Department issued a statement addressing both the incident and the broader behaviour seen during the celebrations. "The San Antonio Police Department extends our sympathy to the family, friends and loved ones affected by this tragic and preventable incident," the statement read. "This serves as an important reminder that public safety is a shared responsibility. We encourage everyone celebrating to follow traffic laws, stay inside of your vehicles and follow directions from the officers who are there to keep everyone safe."
The Spurs now face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, a rematch of the 1999 championship series. The basketball story is one of the best in years. For one family in San Antonio right now, none of that matters.