Joshua high school senior still critical after jet ski accident

An 18-year-old Joshua high school student remained in critical condition Sunday after a jet ski accident on Lake Palestine on Tuesday, according to family members who added they were encouraged that he was able to take his first steps Sunday at a hospital in East Texas.

Tyler Haessley, who is set to graduate in October from the New Horizon High School in Joshua, was in the water about to climb onto an inner tube tethered to a boat when he was struck in the head by a jet ski driven by his older brother. The impact cracked his forehead and the back of his skull and knocked him out.

He was airlifted to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler, where he underwent two surgeries to stop bleeding in his brain, said his mother, Shanna Campbell. She said Tyler’s brother, who turned 26 on Friday, was devastated.

“He was just trying to splash him with the jet ski ... and the end of the jet ski hit him in the head,” she said. “All I could see was Tyler’s head in the water ... I saw the blood, and he was unconscious.”

The accident happened during the family’s third annual vacation at Lake Palestine, about 20 miles east of Athens and 100 miles southeast of Fort Worth. The blended family of Shanna and Scott Campbell includes seven children and five grandchildren, who all were on the trip.

Tyler remains in intensive care, unable to speak, and is scheduled for intensive speech and physical therapy, his mother said. A portion of his forehead was removed to relieve pressure on the brain and won’t be reattached for three months. He had a blood transfusion on Saturday, she said.

“The sad fact is he’s 18 and still in high school, and there’s no telling how much these bills are going to be,” said his aunt, Kristie Campbell, who has started a gofundme account to raise money for medical expenses.

Tyler works at a Whataburger restaurant in Burleson, a few miles south of the one his mother manages in Fort Worth.

“He loves gaming,” his aunt said. “He loves the movies, he loves rap music and he loves wrestling.”

The family wants to have Tyler transported to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth as soon as he’s healthy enough to make the trip.

This story was originally published June 25, 2017 at 9:26 PM with the headline "Joshua high school senior still critical after jet ski accident."