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An Australian teenager died after a celebratory backflip attempt took a tragic turn.
Sonny Blundell recently relocated from New South Wales to Queensland with dreams of a fresh start alongside his girlfriend, aiming to kick off a new chapter in their lives. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when Sonny was discovered unconscious by his roommate after a mishap on June 24, revealed his devastated sister, Izabella Cromack-Hay, to The Daily Telegraph.
Cromack-Hay recounted that Sonny bumped his head in the living room, complained of a headache, then went to bed. The next morning, he awoke feeling nauseous, eventually losing consciousness in the bathroom. It was his best friend who stumbled upon him in an unresponsive state later on.
The 18-year-old was rushed to the Queensland Hospital Intensive Care Unit and suffered “multiple strokes.”
The initial period of 24 hours was critical, as Sonny endured several strokes and a subsequent bleed, resulting in the urgent need for a brain drain, Cromack-Hay disclosed on the GoFundMe page created to assist with Blundell’s medical expenses and rehabilitation. The outcome remains uncertain, with the family hoping for the best but prepared for any hurdles ahead in Sonny’s recovery journey.
Doctors placed him in a coma and performed brain surgery but he eventually died from his injuries on June 30, his sister confirmed on the GoFundMe page.
“Our beautiful Sonny has grown his wings and passed away,” Cromack-Hay added. “We are all in disbelief and major pain.”
Money raised from the fundraiser will be used to return his body to his family in New South Wales and pay for funeral costs.
“We need to bring Sonny home as his sisters are waiting for him,” Cromack-Hay wrote in a GoFundMe update on June 30. “We are all here in Queensland trying our hardest to organize this horrible time and prepare ourselves.”
The page has raised nearly $16,000 for the expenses.
“I’ll bring you home my boy, my love, my soul and my heart,” his mother, Madeline Blundell, wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “My best friend and my shoulder to laugh with and cry. I miss you so much my baby .. ma is here.”
Celebratory stunts have had fatal consequences in the past.
South African bodybuilder Sifiso Lungelo Thabete died after a botched backflip attempt while he entered an arena before a competition in 2017.
In 2014, Indian soccer player Peter Biaksangzuala died from injuries he sustained while celebrating a goal with somersaults.