Trevor Desmond gives thumbs up from his hospital bed at Central Maine Medical Center, surrounded by his mom, Tracy, and his dad, Mark. Trevor suffered a traumatic brain injury after being involved in an accident on October 6 in Peru. (Times photo by Cherri Crockett)

Trevor Desmond gives thumbs up from his hospital bed at Central Maine Medical Center, surrounded by his mom, Tracy, and his dad, Mark. Trevor suffered a traumatic brain injury after being involved in an accident on October 6 in Peru. (Times photo by Cherri Crockett)

PERU- “The boys made a miserable decision that has had a huge impact on all their lives, and will for the rest of their lives,” stated Tracy Gale, mother of Trevor Desmond who suffered a traumatic brain injury when he fell from his friend’s truck as it was traveling down Route 108 on October 6.

It is still unclear as to exactly what happened on that night, but one thing is for sure, lives were changed forever and those impacted by the accident are rallying behind their friends and their families to help them through.

“We may not ever get the whole story,” stated Gale. “But I hope these boys have learned a lesson about underage drinking and how it can change your life.”

What the family does know is that Trevor was drinking heavily on that night and was riding in a truck driven by his friend, Nelson Pepin, and accompanied by friends, Matt Haynes and Adam Gill. Somehow, Trevor ended up outside the truck while it was still moving. He was unconscious and had severe bleeding from his head.

“The boys saw that Trevor was hurt badly and made the decision to wrap his head in a sweatshirt and get him back in the truck to get to the hospital,” stated Gale. “They said three different vehicles stopped, but none of them offered any help.”
Currently, Nelson Pepin is being charged with a felony for leaving the scene of an accident, but Gale holds firm that Pepin should not be charged in this case, as she stated, “if it weren’t for the boys loading him in the truck, my boy could be dead. As far as I’m concerned, Nelson saved by son’s life. If they want to charge someone, I think they should find those three vehicles and charge them.”

When Trevor arrived at Central Maine Medical Center after being rushed from Rumford by ambulance, the neurologist performing surgery on his swelling brain, told the family that if there was any delay in treatment and he hadn’t gotten to the hospital when he did, the outcome would have been much different.

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Trevor underwent emergency surgery to remove a piece of his skull to release the pressure of his brain and remained at CMMC.

“Those boys would never intentionally hurt Trevor,” stated Gale. “They’re all so tight and would do anything for one another. I made each and every one of them come into his room when he came out of surgery to see him. They needed to see what the result of their poor decision was. This is as real as it gets. They had shear terror in their eyes.”

The family has no blame for any of the boys, as Gale stated, “It could have been any one of them that this happened to. I just want them to make smarter choices from here on out. This is what underage drinking can do to you.”

Many questions remain in Gale’s mind, but she is still wondering why the police weren’t called by Rumford Hospital when the boys brought Trevor in.
“The boys said that when they got to Rumford, the nurses told them to get out, they had him (Trevor) from there. I called the cops from here (Lewiston) when I got here. They didn’t know about it yet.”

It is not confirmed whether or not the other three occupants of the truck were drinking, but it is certain that Trevor’s blood alcohol was off the charts. “He should have been in an alcohol induced coma,” stated Gale. “That’s how drunk he was.”

Trevor remains in stable condition and has frequent visits from all his friends. He does wonder why he hasn’t received a visit from Nelson, but his parents and friends keep telling him he’s working and cannot make it down. Nelson has been court ordered to have zero contact with Trevor pending the outcome of the charges.

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Trevor has since been moved to a rehabilitation facility, where he will remain for up to four weeks. He is expected to make a full recovery, with the final stage being the replacement of his skull in roughly six months.

“Trevor has blown the doctors away so far,” stated Gale. “I think we’re going to see him recover very quickly from this. He’s doing so well.”

Nelson Pepin’s lawyer advised him against making a statement in regard to this story.

 


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