Nationwide — De’Lon Jackson, a 15-year-old African-American high school football player from Riverdale, Georgia, who had big dreams of making it to the NFL, now experiences a life-changing tragedy when he lost his leg while rescuing his mother from a car accident.
According to WSBTV, De’Lon received a 911 call from his mother after football practice at Charles Drew High School. She was on her way to pick him up when she was involved in a serious accident and was unable to move or breathe.
De’Lon rushed to the scene of the accident, determined to help his mother. “I run… I see what happened. I see the truck in the grass,” Jackson told 11Alive. “My first thought was to get my mom out of the car.”
After rescuing her, De’Lon was hit by a car and seriously injured.
His mother, Raven Simone, described the moment: “I walked around the back and heard a car coming. And as they were coming, you could hear my car being hit. And I turned around and said, ‘Where’s my son?’ And I saw him in the middle of the road and his right leg was twisted.”
De’Lon was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, where doctors had to amputate his right leg. His left leg was also injured in the accident.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to cover his medical expenses. The campaign has so far raised nearly $8,000 of $100,000. His mother is now focused on caring for him and her other children as he requires further rehabilitation.
Despite the life-changing event, De’Lon is grateful that he and his mother are alive. Although his dreams of playing in the NFL have changed, his love for his mother is stronger than ever.
“I love her to death. I don’t know what I would do without her. I don’t know what I would do,” De’Lon said. “I’m glad she’s here. I’m glad I’m here.”
Meanwhile, authorities have still not released a full report on the incident and it is unknown whether the driver who hit De’Lon will face charges.
