Fundraiser set up for boy hurt in bike crash

A fundraiser set up on Facebook to help the family of an 11-year-old Oil City boy who was injured Sunday in a traffic collision in Reno has already raised more than $5,500.

Tanner Stull continues to recover at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, family members have told the newspaper. He was able to leave the intensive care unit Wednesday and is now in a room, Stull’s family said.

Mark Baughman, who is Stull’s grandfather, had said Sunday that Stull suffered a subdural hematoma, skull fractures, a broken thigh bone and two broken ribs when his bicycle and a vehicle collided at about 3:20 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Walnut and Third streets in Reno.

“There doesn’t seem to be any mental impairment,” Baughman told the newspaper Tuesday. “He recognizes us and has had some bits of conversation with us, though he is on a lot of medication and very out of it most of the time.”

Surgery has been done to repair the boy’s thigh bone, but he still has blood clots and bleeding on the brain, along with skull fractures and a collapsed lung, Baughman said Tuesday.

The subdural hematoma has not gotten larger since Sunday, Baughman added.

Stull was able to get his neck brace off and has eaten some food and been “drinking great,” the family said Wednesday. He was also able to sit in a chair for a bit.

“We still have a long way to go but he is definitely getting a little better every day,” the family said.

The fundraiser that has been set up is called Our Money for Tanner.

A total of $5,575 had been raised by Wednesday afternoon.

The funds will help the family cover medical expenses and the cost of travel to and from Pittsburgh, along with follow-up expenses.

“We really appreciate everyone’s concern and prayers,” Baughman said.