Family sets up fundraiser for 16-year-old Puyallup runner hit by truck
Two months after a 16-year-old runner in Puyallup was hit and seriously injured by a truck, his family is asking the community for help.
On Oct. 6, the teenager – who was an athlete on Puyallup High School’s cross-country team – was running east with his team in the 600 block of 2nd Avenue Northeast. He entered the intersection and a truck hit him while traveling south on 7th Street Northeast.
In a Facebook post on Dec. 18, Pierce County Professional Firefighters – a union that represents firefighters across East Pierce County – posted the link to a fundraiser that the boy’s mother set up, which identified the boy by his first name, “Bryson.”
“He suffered serious head injuries and spent weeks in the ICU, followed by neuro-rehabilitation,” the Facebook post said. “Thanks to incredible strength, support, and his mom never leaving his side, Bryson has made a remarkable recovery. He is now home, awake, walking, talking, and back to being the funny teenager his family loves.”
“His mother is listed on the fundraising page as Cassie Glaspey. She declined to speak with The News Tribune Friday, or to share her son’s full name for privacy reasons, but said she supported reporting to share the fundraiser and social media post.
“On October 6th, my son was hit by a truck and nearly lost his life … He is currently recovering after losing half of his skull, and his road to healing is long and uncertain. Bryson has health insurance. But I am not sure how much responsibility will fall on my family,” Glaspey wrote on the fundraiser page. “The charges for treatment so far have been over $1 million. This is going to be a potentially lifelong process. And there will inevitably be types of care Bryson will need that aren’t covered by insurance.”
As of Friday afternoon, the fundraiser had raised $1,050 of a $15,000 goal.
Residents can donate to the fundraiser at spotfund.com.
What happened to the driver who hit Bryson?
The News Tribune previously reported that a 27-year-old driver was operating the truck at the time. Puyallup Municipal Court records said that the teenager was running east on Second Avenue Northeast when the southbound truck on 7th Street Northeast hit him.
The officer wrote that the driver “appeared visibly upset about the collision.” Police later cited the driver for operating a vehicle without an ignition interlock device, which is a breathalyzer connected to a vehicle’s ignition. The driver showed no signs of impairment, but was allegedly driving the truck without a valid license or insurance.
He allegedly told the officer that he “was on his way to deposit a check at the bank to pay for insurance,” that he thought he was going 15 miles per hour on a 25 mph street, and that he slowed down when he saw the boy run into the intersection, but couldn’t stop in time.
The incident prompted some residents to petition the city for traffic safety measures in the neighborhood.
