A 7-year-old boy injured during a holiday drone show over the weekend has undergone emergency surgery, according to his family. Alexander required emergency open-heart surgery, as shared in an update by his mother Adriana Edgerton on her Facebook page on Sunday, December 22.
“My baby is going into emergency heart surgery off of just trying to watch a drone show at Lake Eola Park! I am beyond words beyond terrified!” Edgerton wrote alongside a photo of her child in the hospital.
Andrea Otero, the City of Orlando Public Information Manager, previously described what happened to PEOPLE as “technical difficulties” and said that the Orlando Fire Department (OFD) “was alerted to an individual who was reported to be injured during the show….Paramedics began to render aid as soon as they made contact with the individual.”
RELATED STORIES
Detectives with the Orlando Police Department (OPD) “made contact with the individual’s family last night at the hospital and will continue to assist the FAA in obtaining evidence for the investigation,” Otero added, noting that “our thoughts are with the family and all those impacted by the outcome of this event.”
In a TikTok video shared on December 22, a spectator captured drones falling from formation during a holiday drone show, as reported by PEOPLE.
A person is heard shouting “Watch out, watch out!” before a drone landed, and the video abruptly ended.
Edgerton informed local CW affiliate WESH that her son was struck in the chest by a drone, resulting in damage to one of his heart valves.
“Everyone’s natural instinct was to duck and scatter, and before we realized it, my daughter found my son on the floor unconscious,” Edgerton said. “He had blood coming out of his face.”
She added, “The blade cut his mouth, but there’s an actual imprint of the drone on his chest.”
In previous updates, the boy’s parents claimed that their son was “fighting for his life in ER.”
“I have never been so scared. I can’t believe a drone show at Lake Eola Park turned into this. I’m scared [and] terrified for my baby,” Edgerton wrote.
Sky Elements Drones, which organized the show, previously told PEOPLE in a statement, “Sky Elements Drones wants to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those impacted at our Lake Eola show in Orlando on Saturday, Dec. 21. The well-being of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused.”
They added, “We are diligently working with the FAA and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired. Millions of people see our shows annually, and we are committed to maintaining the highest safety regulations set forth by the FAA.”
