WACO, Texas (KWTX) – A Central Texas mother says her 7-year-old son was paralyzed after police said an alleged drunk driver caused a three-car crash near Gholson Road and Hicks Drive in Waco.
Adriana Medina said the crash happened one Friday night in February and left her son, Mark, with a severe spinal cord injury and a traumatic brain injury.
“We were just, you know, in the wrong place, wrong time,” Medina said. “Unfortunately, as a result from the accident, he suffered a severe spinal cord injury and a traumatic brain injury.”
Medina said Mark went 10 minutes without oxygen at the scene before being revived, then went another three minutes in the ambulance before being resuscitated again.
She said her days now revolve around round-the-clock care, including giving Mark about a dozen medications and tube feedings while watching for signs he is getting stronger.
“My son is a fighter,” Medina said. “He woke up 12 days after the accident, has been awake and alert ever since. He’s to the point where he can communicate.”
Medina said doctors initially told her Mark would never wake up and that if he did, he would not be the same. She said she was still recovering from her own injuries when she was told that “the Mark that we know and love” was gone.
Medina said one of the hardest parts has been the routine because Mark cannot be left home alone and she cannot return to work.
“If I’m not here with him, he gets upset, he cries, because he feels alone,” Medina said.
Medina said the family is now focused on therapy and getting supplies and medications that insurance does not always cover. She credited the family’s faith for helping them through the situation and said prayers are welcome.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with medical expenses.
Copyright 2026 KWTX. All rights reserved.