Little League player critically injured after falling from bunk bed is moved out of ICU

The family of a Little League player who was critically injured after falling out of a bunk bed at the 2022 Little League World Series announced on Thursday that the little boy is making "great strides," and has been discharged from the ICU.

Easton Oliverson, a 12-year-old Snow Canyon Little League player from Santa Clara, Utah, fractured his skull after falling from a top bunk at a dorm facility for the tournament early Monday morning, TODAY reported. According to a post on the family-run Instagram account @miraclesfortank, Easton, whose nickname is "Tank," is back in a regular hospital room and is starting to communicate with some of his family members. "He has been communicating more frequently with his Mom, Dad, and uncles who have been at the hospital with him. His voice has been significantly more clear when he talks!" the post mentioned. 

After the fall, Easton was airlifted to a nearby hospital and underwent emergency brain surgery. "We went from experiencing the highs of the highs, to then the lows of lows, and to the point where he’s just he’s fighting for his own life," Easton’s father, Jace Oliverson said. 

The Instagram updates show that Easton has been recovering, however, in a more recent update, the family shared that he fell down while going to the bathroom all by himself. Though he was a bit unwell after the fall, his CT scan results have come back normal.

After Easton moved back to the regular hospital room, he can sit up in a chair, stand up and take two steps with assistance. The family also shared a video of him drinking and eating on his own using a spoon. "We are astonished by his strength and willingness to try new things," the family mentioned expressing their gratitude for the prayers.

After the incident, Little League said in a statement that while no serious injuries have been observed from using bunk beds at the tournament, they are going to remove bunk beds from the dormitories. "Out of an abundance of caution, Little League has made the decision to remove all bunks from within the dorms and have each bed frame individually on the floor," Little League said.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Little League confirmed Brogan's addition to the Snow Canyon Little League roster. Snow Canyon is the first Utah team to make it to the World Series, and it will play its first game in the series on Friday afternoon.

When Easton's family informed him that his younger brother, Brogan, will be replacing him at the World Series and will be known as "Little T," they said, "His reaction was very emotional." Speaking of how Brogan was feeling about the game, they said in a social media post, "He is so excited to not only take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity, but to be able to play for his big brother who won’t be able to." 

The Santa Clara team, which Jace Oliverson also coaches, was the first from Utah to advance to the Little League World Series. It is representing the Mountain Region and will play its first match on Friday against the Southeast Region team from Nolensville, Tennessee.