Teenager's Life-Altering Accident Sparks Legal and Financial Crisis
On January 10, Mae Banks received a harrowing phone call from her 16-year-old son Nathan's best friend. The frantic teenager screamed that Nathan had been hit. Initially assuming it was a typical teenage scuffle at the local Skyzone trampoline park in Hampton, Virginia, Mae soon learned the devastating truth.
A Routine Errand Turns Tragic
Nathan and his friends had left Skyzone to visit the GameStop across Cunningham Drive to purchase a birthday gift. While crossing back to return to the trampoline park, Nathan was struck by a 2019 Audi Q7. The impact threw him approximately 30 feet, landing him hard on the asphalt.
"I remember going to the GameStop with my friends and when we were leaving, we crossed the street," Nathan recalled to the Daily Mail. "I made it almost across the street, and then I got hit, and then I woke up in the hospital."
Chaotic Scene and Critical Injuries
Mae and her husband, Major Banks, rushed to the chaotic scene where traffic was already backing up. Paramedics were working on Nathan, who had no detectable pulse for about ten minutes. Mae experienced what she described as a "nervous breakdown" as police held her back from her son.
"I had to be put in a follow ambulance because I was screaming and crying so much that they deemed me unsafe to ride in a regular vehicle," she explained.
At Riverside Regional Medical Center, doctors discovered extensive injuries: a broken back, tailbone, and pelvis; severely bruised lungs; a six-inch head laceration; and a deep hand wound resembling a stab wound from concrete debris.
Memory Loss and Long Recovery
The accident caused a traumatic brain injury that limits Nathan's memory to approximately four hours. His mother compares his condition to the film "50 First Dates," where a character experiences daily memory resets.
"If I wake him up too early, he can have way too long of a day struggling to remember what's happened and what he is doing," Mae said.
Nathan's mobility remains severely limited, requiring a walker for short distances under supervision. However, pediatric orthopedic surgeon Peter Moskal recently provided hopeful news: with three weekly physical therapy sessions, Nathan could potentially jog within three to six months. The family also learned he won't need metal implants in his back, allowing natural healing.
Financial Strain and Legal Complications
The accident occurred as Mae was the sole provider for Nathan and her three other children. Her husband, previously a forklift driver, is now a full-time cybersecurity student. Mae's restaurant employer told her not to return until Nathan improves, leaving the family without steady income.
They face a $29,000 hospital bill plus ongoing expenses for travel and groceries. Mae has applied for unemployment and Medicaid while starting a GoFundMe that has raised just over $5,000.
The fundraising necessity stems from Virginia's strict contributory negligence standard. Since Nathan was outside a marked crosswalk, insurers could deny compensation if he's found even 1% at fault. This legal framework, also present in Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C., places full liability on pedestrians crossing outside crosswalks.
"I didn't know about it before now," Mae admitted. "It's something to just remind them of." She now constantly reminds her other children about pedestrian safety.
Emotional Toll and Future Outlook
Nathan struggles with isolation from his peers and abrupt disruption of his normal routine. Previously active in basketball, football, and track, he now faces months of home recovery.
"It's sad because I'm very social," Nathan said. "So yeah, I haven't been doing too good."
The family awaits an April 21 neurology appointment to address Nathan's memory issues while continuing his physical therapy regimen. Despite the challenges, Nathan remains determined: "Six months sounds like a lot, but if you just keep at it, time flies. I'm trying to get back to that point where I'm back to where I was."
