MIAMI (WSVN) - A mother is asking for the community’s support as her son recovers from a crash that left him severely injured nearly a month ago.
Eileen Gonzalez’s 12-year-old son, Devin Bennar, has been hospitalized since he suffered severe brain damage when he was in a golf cart that was struck by a car in Palmetto Bay, July 4.
He has not been able to speak since the crash.
“He cannot communicate,” Gonzalez said. “But everyday I see it in his eyes, and every time I tell him to fight, he makes another huge step.”
Four other children, including Devin’s two sisters, were in the golf cart driven by a 16-year-old. Devin suffered the most severe injuries, including head trauma and brain damage. The car’s driver stayed on the scene of the accident.
Gonzalez remembers coming to the scene of the accident, where her daughter was covered in blood.
“I first seen one of my sons screaming that he didn’t want his brother to die,” Gonzalez said, “and then I saw my daughter with blood all over her, and she just said, ‘Mom, it’s Devin.'”
Gonzalez said doctors were not sure her son would survive immediately after the crash.
“They did not think he was going to make it,” she said. “I just had a feeling inside me, and I knew something was wrong.”
But Devin has progressed in his recovery. Gonzalez showed 7News video of her son Shane helping Devin play his favorite game on his phone. He’s now able to move his thumb, and his mom hopes he will one day speak again.
“I know he may not be the same, but I just want him to tell me he loves me,” she said. “He used to tell me 20 times a day that he loves me and that I’m beautiful.”
Gonzalez is supported by a close friends, and she has set up a GoFundMe page to find support for her son’s recovery.
“I just continue to pray. I just begged everyone to work on him the best they could, and they did. They did everything for him,” Gonzalez said. “I tell him everyday to pray to God to help him fight and to come back to me that’s all I want is my son back.”
Devin will be in rehabilitation for at least a year. To help support Devin’s recovery, visit https://www.gofundme.com/2es2mj8.
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