A 12-year-old boy, Oliver Holland, has finally woken up from a medically induced coma on his birthday after a helicopter crashed right on top of him at a California beach event.
His sister, Madeline Ashwell, shared that after family members told him the unbelievable truth, he asked, “Why did a helicopter land on me?” Oliver was one of five people injured on October 11 when a helicopter went down in Huntington Beach before the Cars ‘N Copters on the Coast event.
It’s an absolutely devastating story of a kid who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and thankfully, he’s now starting a long road to recovery. This wasn’t a small injury we’re talking about, either. Oliver had to undergo multiple surgeries due to the severity of his condition, which included a collapsed lung and bleeding in his brain.
Just picture this: one minute you’re enjoying a day out at an event, and the next, an aircraft is spiraling out of control and crashing right near you. The sheer, awful randomness of it is what makes Oliver’s sister’s comment so chilling. She spoke to KNBC and explained that if he had been “even five feet ahead” of where he was standing, he wouldn’t have been hit at all.
A child was hit by a helicopter, but survived
The incident, which happened near the Waterfront Beach Resort, saw the helicopter become unstable before it started spinning and hit some palm trees. It just goes to show you how quickly life can change in a split second.
When he finally woke up over the weekend, which, by the way, was on his birthday, his confusion was absolutely understandable. After his family told him the unbelievable truth of what happened, Oliver didn’t just ask about his injuries or what day it was. No, he got right to the point about the crash, asking the questions that every single one of us would be asking: “How did this happen?” and “Why did a helicopter land on me?”.
Thankfully, we have some fantastic updates coming in from the family through the GoFundMe page. Oliver’s sister, Madeline Ashwell, was able to share some really huge milestones in his recovery.
First and foremost, he’s made incredible progress and no longer needs a ventilator. Madeline wrote that Oliver is now able to do things that fill the family with hope and relief, confirming that “Oliver recognizes his family, is able to communicate with us, and has even begun to move parts of his body”. Hearing that a kid who suffered a brain bleed is now communicating and moving is a wave of good news that we’ve all been hoping for.
His doctors are also extremely positive about the progress he’s making, telling the family they “are very encouraged by his progress and believe he’s on a strong path toward recovery”. Madeline added that while there’s still a long road ahead for Oliver, they’re “beyond grateful for how far he’s come and for the steady improvements we’re seeing every day”.
The community support for Oliver has been nothing short of amazing, too. A GoFundMe was set up to help Oliver and his family with the immense medical costs and has already raised well over $113,000 as of Wednesday, October 29. Madeline shared her overwhelming gratitude for the kindness and encouragement shown, which has given their family so much strength during this difficult time.
Published: Oct 29, 2025 04:46 pm