Parents of 12-year-old hit by truck in Slidell speak out about incident

Rick Gogreve
·2 min read
Parents of 12-year-old hit by truck in Slidell speak out about incident

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — 12-year-old Grayson Manning is now in a fight for his life after being struck by a truck on Father’s Day. His mother, Mindy McConnell, watched the incident happen.

“What went through my mind is that ‘Oh my God, he just died,’ you know? I thought that for at least 15 to 20 minutes,” said McConnell.

Grayson is being treated at Children’s Hospital, facing serious injuries affecting his brain, spine and more. McConnell says now it’s mostly a waiting game.

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“Well, they aren’t able to give all the answers or the extent of his injuries until kind of day by day or as he heals or has setbacks, and so it’s hard so it’s hard to hope and the disappointment. It’s emotionally, extremely taxing,” said McConnell.

Prior to the incident, Grayson was an avid roller skater and an even bigger fan of paintball.

His father, Dustin Manning, says many members of the paintball community, even players on the New Orleans professional paintball team, the Hurricanes, have reached out to share their support.

“It is unbelievable how many people have come together and really helped you know. Something to look at besides what’s going on in that hospital bed,” said Dustin Manning.

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Now, McConnell says she wants to show her support to the driver, saying what happened to her son is not his fault.

“The driver did not do anything wrong and there was nothing he could have done differently, so I really want him to know that it really isn’t his fault and I want to be able to move forward and know that this is not on him at all,” said McConnell.

Donations can be made to Grayson and his mother through a GoFundMe.

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