'I never thought anything like this could happen to us'

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When Brandy MacDonald called the hospital after hearing her son may have been involved in a car accident last month, staff told her she would need to come in to identify him. 

“Right then, I knew it was bad,” the Moncton woman said. 

She immediately noticed her son Riley Geldart’s blonde hair when she arrived at The Moncton Hospital that night, but his face was unrecognizable. The 15-year-old was a passenger in a car involved in a head-on collision on Route 115 in Irishtown on Jan. 12.

According to a news release from RCMP, the accident is believed to have occurred when the car crossed the centre line and struck a jeep. The 18-year-old driver of the car died at the scene. 

Riley was taken to hospital in critical condition. 

On Friday, RCMP Sgt. Ricky LeBlond said there are no updates but the incident is still under investigation. 

At the hospital, MacDonald was told Riley had bleeding in his brain, severe lacerations on his tongue and face, his orbital bone had been completely shattered, his teeth and jaw had to be elastic- and metal-shut, and he had a skull fracture. 

“I was told by the doctor that I had a very sick boy and he was given a 20 per cent chance of living,” she said. “I never thought anything like this could happen to us, but it did.” 

Riley was kept in an induced coma for what was supposed to be three weeks but only lasted for nine days. MacDonald said he then began responding to the nurses by giving thumbs up and down.  

The doctor told her it was the worst head blow he’d ever seen someone survive. 

When Riley woke up, he didn’t remember what happened. MacDonald said he lost about eight years of long-term memories and still has vision issues due to the orbital bone break. He didn’t remember the accident and continued to pull out his feeding tube and pull at the metal and elastic holding his jaw closed, which resulted in the removal of many of his teeth. 

Riley has come a long way since then and is now in the process of relearning to walk.  

“His whole left side was affected due to the brain damage. It will take a good year to recover from the injuries and the brain could be three years if ever, but every day is a new beginning,” she said. 

The last month has been difficult for MacDonald too. With two other teenagers at home, she said her mother, who is also facing health issues, has been helping while she spends as much time as possible at her son’s side.

A GoFundMe launched by Riley’s friend Emma Close-Hebert has raised $1,050 for the family.

“I started the GoFundMe because I didn’t want the family to have to worry about money during this hard time,” she said. “I wanted them to be with Riley.” 

Close-Hebert said after reaching the $1,000 goal, she hopes the fund will continue to grow.

“It does really help them,” she said. 

MacDonald said the money will be used to cover hospital costs, including funding trips to the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation in Fredericton, false teeth and she hopes to use some to give Riley a proper homecoming when he is ready to leave the hospital.  

While she said there is still a long road ahead, she says Riley’s recovery has been a miracle and she hopes he will be home in time to celebrate his 16th birthday on April 29. 

“I’m so proud of my son,” she said. “All of the trauma and hard work he is doing to get better he deserves something wonderful.”