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5-Year-Old Ariel Young Out of Hospital, Recovering at Home After Britt Reid Crash
April 14, 2021
Ariel Young, a five-year-old critically injured in a car crash involving former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid in February, is out of the hospital, her family announced via their GoFundMe page.
"Ariel is at home recovering, we hope that her being in a familiar place will help her remember things," Young's cousin, Tiffany Verhulst posted online Tuesday. "She is doing physical therapy but as of right now she still cannot walk, talk or eat like a normal five-year-old. Thank you everyone for your continued support."
Reid was charged with driving while intoxicated on April 12—nearly two months after the crash. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of up to seven years in jail if convicted.
The crash left Young with severe brain injuries, leading the family to set up a donation page with a goal of raising $500,000 to help cover medical and rehabilitation expenses. As of Wednesday, nearly $574,000 had been donated.
Young's family announced in March the five-year-old was awake, but unresponsive, and will require use of a wheelchair for the foreseeable future. She was released from the hospital on April 2, Young family attorney Tom Porto told Jori Epstein of USA Today.
“The hope is that her pediatric brain injury will heal better in a familiar setting,” Porto said. “As of right now, she still cannot walk or talk and depends on a feeding tube for basic nutrition.”
USA Today's Tom Schad reported in March that Reid, the 35-year-old son of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, told police he had "two or three drinks" before driving the night of the crash and said he takes Adderall.
A probable cause statement released on Monday showed Reid's blood alcohol concentration was .113—well above the legal limit of .08—nearly two hours after the crash. Investigators further determined Reid was driving nearly 84 miles per hour at the time of the crash.
Reid had previously been cited on at least three occasions for speeding or careless driving, according to Epstein. Young's family believes the current charges are not sufficient.
“We don’t believe the charges are fair or harsh enough,” Verhulst told Epstein. “It’s been incredibly hard knowing he’s out every day living his normal life and Ariel’s life is completely changed. Our whole family’s life changed due to him making the decision to drink and drive.”