DALLAS – A 13-year-old is paralyzed after running away from a wasp at a North Texas community center and shattering his spine and neck when he dived into a swimming pool.
Seymon Williams Jr., known to family and friends as “SJ,” went swimming on the first day of summer. Witnesses said a wasp near the pool made him dive back into the water. The teen may now be paralyzed for life, doctors told his mother.
“It was a normal day, you know. He came running downstairs telling me he was wanting to go swim with his friends,” said Anya Camper, the teenager’s mother.
A tragedy on the first day of summer
The mother of four said she gave in to her son’s request. It was June 20, the first day of summer, and SJ went to a community pool.
“Basically, him and his friends were just playing running away from a wasp and he just takes off and just dives in the pool,” his mother said. “He’s not sure exactly what type of dive he did.”
Something went wrong during the dive: the football player and avid swimmer hit the pool’s hard surface, witnesses said, causing injuries that may now be irreparable.