Four Westlake Village High School students were hit by a car at a bus stop near the school on April 18. One student, Wesley Welling, was wrongfully killed as a result of that auto accident. You can read more about the Westlake High School car crash and about Wesley here.
One of the other four students that was hit by the car was 15-year-old Blase Anderson. For a good amount of time, his family remained anonymous to protect their privacy. Now, they share the story of Blase after the April 18 incident.
SEVERE CHILD INJURIES AFTER THE WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL AUTO ACCIDENT
15-year-old Blase Anderson. Source: TO Acorn.
After the Westlake car crash, Blase suffered a broken tibia and complete tear of the associated ligaments. On June 5, he underwent surgery to repair the torn ligaments. Also, he is expected to have other surgeries in the future.
Blase’s mother, Jessica Anderson said “It’s a lot for a 15-year-old…But we’ve been blessed that we even have our son. We’re hoping he can recover. The support of our friends and community, even neighbors and people we don’t know who’ve reached out to help, are getting us through.”
Jessica Anderson acknowledged that her son has not yet processed the situation. She revealed that her son still believes his leg will be perfectly fine even though all four ligaments have been torn and there is a complete tear off the knee.
SEVERE CHILD INJURIES
The Anderson family. Source: TO Acorn.
For three months, Blase will not be able to place any weight on his leg. Additionally, doctors recommended that he undergo physical therapy three times a week for a significant amount of time.
Blase’s mother believes that her son’s recovery will take as long as nine months.
Blase Anderson loves snowboarding. The young teenager is said to be extremely anxious to return to the activity as soon as his body is ready.
According to the TO Acorn, Blase could likely be required to undergo knee replacement surgery later in his life. Whether or not he needs this surgery in the long-term will be determined by his lifestyle and how he maintains his health through the years.
THE VICTIM’S RECOVERY
The injuries are severe, but Jessica Anderson is more concerned with her son’s physical well being after the Westlake Village auto accident.
She disclosed, “My biggest worry is counseling.” Although, Blase disagrees with his mother and believes that counseling is unnecessary.
Jessica Anderson explained that Blase was the first student hit by the at-fault driver in the April 18 accident.
She said, “[Blase] saw what happened to Wesley. He was ordering Wingstop on his phone when he heard screaming. He looked up and the car was coming at him.” She continued to say, “He didn’t have time to react. He was on the sidewalk and then he was thrown into the bushes.”
THE COST OF THE CHILD INJURIES
Blase’s recovery is expected to take nine months. His ligaments tore and his tibia broke after the Westlake High School car crash. Source: TO Acorn.
The Anderson family is concerned not only with Blase’s health and recovery, but also with their financial situation.
Blase is recovering at Los Robles Regional Medical Center where his mother works as a cardiac nurse. Moreover, his mother described how the hospital does not have a lot of active pediatric doctors working there.
The family has medical insurance, but Blase’s parents decided to choose out-of-network medical care. Furthermore, they are currently working with a pediatric orthopedic surgery specialist at the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.
The Andersons are attempting to negotiate prices with HCA and the hospital, but the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles is one hour away and out-of-pocket expenses are increasing rapidly.
To care for Blake and his two other siblings, Anderson took a good amount of time off of work. However, now that the June 5 surgery has been completed, she must return to work so she does not lose her insurance.
A GoFundMe has been created to help cover the family’s expenses. The Andersons’ out-of-pocket expenses are estimated at $160,000. As of June 6, over $45,000 has been raised.
Accidents like these should never happen and it is a true tragedy when one does occur. We wish Blase Anderson a very speedy recovery.
If you have any questions regarding a child injury case, you should contact a child injury attorney immediately.