‘Why did a helicopter land on me?’ Boy hurt in chopper crash out of coma on birthday

A California boy who was trapped under a helicopter when it spiraled out of control and crashed nearly three weeks ago awoke from a medically induced coma last weekend – just in time for his 12th birthday.

Oliver Holland was one of five people injured when the helicopter crashed on Oct. 11 in Huntington Beach, California. Three people, including Holland, were on the ground when the aircraft crashed in a beach parking lot.

The Huntington Beach Fire Department said that two people who were aboard the helicopter were “safely pulled from the wreckage.” City officials said the helicopter was associated with the Cars ’N Copters on the Coast event that was to take place the next day.

Oliver was placed in a coma after undergoing surgeries for bleeding in his brain and a collapsed lung.

“I was there when he woke up, and I was just crying tears of joy,” Madeline Ashwell, the boy’s sister, told KNBC. She added that Holland was able to speak with family members.

Holland was with relatives from out of town and walking to the bridge from the beach when the helicopter crashed.

“Wrong place, wrong time,” Ashwell told the television station. “If Oliver was five feet ahead, it wouldn’t have happened.

“What we’ve told him is that he was just in an accident. And, what he says is, ‘How did this happen? Why did a helicopter land on me?’”

It was unclear what led to the helicopter’s crash.

A GoFundMe page was set up to support Holland and his family. So far, more than $114,000 has been raised.

On the page, Ashwell wrote that her brother “has made incredible progress” over the past week.

“He is now awake and breathing on his own, no longer needing a ventilator. Oliver recognizes his family, is able to communicate with us, and has even begun to move parts of his body,” she wrote. “These are huge milestones that fill us with hope and relief. His doctors are very encouraged by his progress and believe he’s on a strong path toward recovery.“While there’s still a long road ahead, we’re beyond grateful for how far he’s come and for the steady improvements we’re seeing every day.”

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