Josh Wharton, a close friend of the late Jay Briscoe, has given an update on the condition of Gracie and Jayleigh, the daughters who were severely injured in the car accident that resulted in Briscoe’s death.
According to a post on Wharton’s Facebook, Gracie initially experienced a loss of sensation from the waist down after the accident. She was admitted to a local hospital where she was diagnosed with an L2 dislocation, fractures in L3 and L4, and spinal cord compression.
After being stabilized and transferred to a larger hospital, Gracie regained some feeling in her thighs but remained numb below the knees. She underwent surgery early on January 18, which successfully relieved some spinal cord compression.
Gracie, who is 12, is still facing serious swelling and trauma in her spinal cord. Doctors are cautiously optimistic, as she experienced occasional tingling in her feet on Thursday. Her recovery is expected to be gradual and monitored daily.
As of Thursday evening, Gracie had not regained full feeling in her legs but has no additional injuries. Jayleigh, 9, suffered an open tibia and fibular fracture, which required surgery and placement in an external fixator before being transferred to a larger facility.
Jayleigh also has a C7 fracture, necessitating a neck brace for six weeks, and L3 and L4 fractures, which will keep her in a back brace for 12 weeks. She also had a broken rib and suffered internal bleeding, which required bowel resection surgery.
Wharton shared a message from Ashley, Jay’s wife, expressing gratitude for the extensive support from both the local and wrestling communities: “Both girls are in a lot of pain. We want to express how thankful we are for the outpouring of support from our community and the wrestling community worldwide.”