Child’s situation still critical after being hit by falling limb

The 2-year-old toddler injured Monday by a falling tree limb remained in critical condition Wednesday recovering from brain surgery.
Describing the event as a “freak accident,” Winder Fire Department Chief Matt Whiting said the boy, identified as Tripp Halstead, was unconscious, but breathing on his own when firefighters and paramedics with Barrow County Emergency Services arrived at Cribs to Crayons daycare on Church Street around 11:30 a.m. Monday.
Halstead was taken to Barrow Regional Medical Center where a flight took him to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. His parents, Bill and Stacy Halstead, have been keeping a vigil ever since, reporting to friends and family what the situation is hour-to-hour.
“Right now it is positive,” said Connie Wilbanks, who owns the daycare center where the incident happened. “(Tripp’s mother) said she felt the prayers of everyone and she asked for more.”
Wilbanks closed her facility following the accident, but decided to reopen on Tuesday because of parents’ needs. The daycare is licensed to serve 25 children.
For the full story, see the Oct. 31 issue of the Barrow Journal.