California teen suffers severe spinal injury in Hawaiian hotel pool accident

During a wedding trip to Maui, 18-year-old Brayden Serrano dove headfirst into a hotel pool and hit the bottom, fracturing his C5 and C6 neck vertebrae and injuring his spinal cord. Emergency responders rescued him after a friend pulled him from the water, and he was taken to a trauma center where surgeons removed his shattered C5 vertebra, inserted a cage and performed a spinal fusion. Two operations have been completed without complications, but he remains fully paralyzed in his legs and only partially able to move his arms, though he can speak and is conscious.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to fund an air ambulance, medical expenses and a lengthy rehabilitation program. His mother, an LAPD sergeant, and other family members are coordinating his return to Southern California, where further treatment may be required. The incident has halted his plans to begin Army boot camp as a drone specialist, leaving his family to face extensive medical and caregiving responsibilities.