A mother says she has been left feeling “helpless” after UnitedHealthcare allegedly refused to pay for her son’s brain injury rehabilitation, accusing the insurance giant of putting profits ahead of patients.

Peyton Alvarez, a 25-year-old airline mechanic with PSA Airlines, was riding his motorcycle in Greenville, South Carolina, on April 28 when he crashed into a tree.

Despite wearing a helmet and protective gear, Peyton suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in the impact and remained unconscious for six weeks. Doctors warned his mother, Trina Alvarez, that her son might never wake up.

Then, in early June, Peyton opened his right eye. He has since been able to move his left arm and wiggle his toes on command, Trina told the Daily Mail.

Hoping to give him the best chance at recovery, Trina filed a claim through Peyton’s employer-sponsored insurance plan, administered by UnitedHealthcare, and arranged for him to be transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, a leading rehabilitation hospital for brain injury patients.

But on July 7, Trina was crushed when she received a denial letter from UnitedHealthcare, which stated that Peyton’s treatment at the facility was ‘medically unnecessary.’ 

‘It is so frustrating. It makes me so angry that they can control what happens with my son because the longer he stays at the hospital he’s at, the less chance he has to wake up,’ Trina told the Daily Mail. 

‘When you push a parent to the point of feeling like they are helpless, and may contribute to whether their son may ever be able to talk or move his arms and legs or sit up on his own, that should not be allowed,’ she added.

‘UnitedHealthcare is one of the biggest insurance companies. They make sh** tons of money, and they want to deny his care,’ Trina said.

‘It’s all about the money. It’s not about my son and the medical care that he should get,’ she added. 

When Peyton opened his left eye and showed that he could still make small movements, it was a ray of hope for his anguished mother. 

It was the young man’s doctor who recommended that he be transferred to the Shepherd Center, and when Trina’s application to have her son treated there was accepted, that marked another moment of hope. 

The selective facility only accepts patients with a good chance of at least partial recovery, and around 85 percent of those who are admitted to the program experience improvement in their condition, Trina said. It also only accepts patients covered by insurance.

So when UnitedHealthcare denied Peyton’s initial claim, and then also denied an appeal Trina submitted with documentation of the doctor’s recommendation, the mom was utterly devastated. 

UnitedHealthcare came under scrutiny for denying insurance claims after its former CEO, Brian Thompson, was assassinated in late 2024. 

Thompson’s killer, Luigi Mangione, recently admitted in court that he was motivated by his frustration and anger at the healthcare system after being unable to receive coverage for chronic severe back pain. 

ALSO READ: Karen Read Lawyer Says Clancy Defense Attorney May Be Cut From a Different Cloth as Deliberations Drag On

‘[UnitedHealthcare is] the biggest insurance company,’ she said. ‘They’ve made the most money, and they’re the most commonly denying this kind of cr**.’

Trina explained that UnitedHealthcare justified denying Peyton’s treatment at the Shepherd center because he is at a three on the Rancho scale, a clinical measure of cognitive recovery for patients with brain injuries. 

It is indeed common for insurance companies to deny rehab coverage for patients at a three on the scale, as their clinical measures for providing claims are rigid. Trina said that UnitedHealthcare wanted her son to be at a four to qualify for coverage.

‘But the problem is, getting him to a four is dependent on him getting in the [Shepherd Center] program. That’s what they do is get them further,’ the mom told the Daily Mail.

She added that over the past few days, Peyton has been awake for hours at a time and holding his head up on his own. 

‘I know that the more stimulation he gets, the better he’s getting,’ Trina said, emphasizing that the sooner he gets the treatment he needs, the likelier he is to have a more significant recovery.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, UnitedHealthcare said: ‘We empathize with the Alvarez family during this incredibly difficult time.

‘Based on the clinical information we have, Mr. Alvarez has alternative full-time care options covered under his plan that can provide rehabilitative therapy. We are ready to work with the family as soon as they make a decision.’

Trina scoffed at that reply and said that the ‘alternative’ option UnitedHealthcare referred to was putting Peyton in a skilled nursing facility. 

‘They said a skilled nursing facility was a middle ground. That was our compromise,’ Trina told the Daily Mail. ‘When would anybody be okay with compromising on their son’s medical treatment?’

‘If he goes to a skilled nursing facility, all they’re going to do is make sure he doesn’t starve to death and keep him clean,’ she said.   

Trina told the Daily Mail that she has been looking into having her son transferred to the Hermann Hospital in Houston, another top brain injury rehab, and potentially paying out of pocket. 

If treatment at the facility brings him to a four on the Rancho scale, he may then qualify for coverage under UnitedHealthcare’s plan, but Trina said she is also looking into swapping providers because the hospital told her other companies might pay for his care.

An online fundraiser has been organized to help Peyton’s family cover out-of-pocket medical expenses. 

Burning Man is now underway in Black Rock, Nevada, where the 10-day desert gathering is built around themes of creativity, community and human connection. But one Christian group says that spirit of “radical inclusion” did not extend to them.

John Hinerman, who leads the Christian outreach group Shift the Atmosphere, traveled to the Burning Man festival with the goal of sharing the message of Jesus. In an Instagram video posted Wednesday, he said organizers had told the group to leave the event.

“Burning Man is discriminating us and breaking their own rules of being ‘radically inclusive’ and KICKING us out for being Christians?!” Hinerman wrote in the caption accompanying the post.

In the video, Hinerman told followers the group was packing up after being asked to depart. “We have been asked to leave Burning Man. We’re packing up. They’re kicking us out. Satan’s mad. We have over 600 people who have given their lives to Jesus already, and Satan can’t do anything about it,” he said.

Hinerman also said he believed “God is about to move and do something huge,” adding that the group had been given just three hours to dismantle a camp he said took an entire week to set up.

He added that the festival claimed their ejection was due to his group filming people without their consent, but he claimed those were “lies” made up by the festival.

“What’s crazy to me is there’s young kids – which is wicked and sad that parents would bring their kids to these – but grown men will have their penises out and women are walking around naked without consent,” he said.

“These children didn’t give you consent to be walking around with your penises out in front of all these kids. It’s so wicked and sad.”

READ MORE: Michael Biehn’s Onslaught Role Explained: Why It Matters

He concluded that post by stating, “Burning Man knows they’re wrong. God will have the last say.”

Burning Man spokesperson Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley responded to Hinerman’s claims (via SF Gate), stating, “Burning Man takes participants’ right to privacy seriously.”

“Seeking permission and consent before filming or engaging other participants in Black Rock City is a requirement and responsibility for anyone at the event. This camp received multiple warnings and opportunities to correct their behavior, yet continued to violate our policies and were therefore evicted,” he added.

The complaints stemmed from Hinerman’s group filming people while encouraging them to “take a blessing,” which violated Burning Man’s rules.

Hinerman shared another video on Instagram Wednesday, showing some encounters with friendly “burners” who helped them clean up their camp when they were asked to leave.

“Many other BURNERS are coming and JOINING us helping us clean up everything up because even THEY are against the Burning Man for kicking us out for sharing our Faith…” the post began.

“WE LOVE the BURNERS. We had such beautiful time spending with the people here. Burning Man is WRONG for kicking us Out and the devil is MAD over 800 people gave their lives to Jesus and became a LIVING temple of the Holy Spirit. One of their #1 Rules, is “Radical Inclusion”. I guess it’s Radical inclusion for everyone EXCEPT Christians,” he concluded.

Hinerman and Shift the Atmosphere appear to be moving on from the ordeal, with his latest post on Thursday revealing that they were continuing on their “mission to save souls” to Reno, Nevada.

As jurors moved toward the close of a sixth day of deliberations in Lindsay Clancy’s case — after twice informing the judge they were unable to agree on a unanimous verdict — one of Karen Read’s former defense attorneys commended Clancy’s lawyer for his handling of the trial.

“It immediately brings back the stress and the pressure that comes from having somebody’s life in your hands and the very worst part of a trial, which is when the jury’s out,” said David Yannetti, who played a central role on Read’s defense team during both of her Massachusetts murder trials. “So I feel for Kevin now, as I feel any lawyer in that situation, but he appears to be confident.”

Yannetti said the two high-profile Massachusetts cases stand out because both involve professional women with no prior criminal records or history in court, and both defendants attracted significant public backing.

“I think by all accounts, he did a wonderful job with this case, defending this woman in what is a horrific set of facts,” Yannetti told News Media. “I think Kevin has succeeded to a large degree already.”

Clancy is charged with three counts of murder in the deaths of her children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, who was 8 months old. Jurors could find her guilty of first- or second-degree murder, manslaughter, or not criminally responsible under her insanity defense.

While the facts of the cases are worlds apart, both involve intense scrutiny from both the media and the public.

Judge William Sullivan, who is presiding over the Clancy trial, explained the prosecution’s burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt after receiving a new note from the jury Thursday afternoon.

Then he sent jurors back to continue deliberating.

With jurors out of the courtroom, Reddington made a fiery request to the judge, asking for the removal of an apparent single holdout whom he said another juror accused of failing to follow the law.

Sullivan rejected the request.

“Refusing to deliberate and refusing to agree are not the same thing,” said retired Massachusetts Judge Carol Erskine, who is not involved with the case. She explained in an X post that judges are also required to be “extremely cautious” not to interfere with deliberations.

The court recessed for the day shortly after 4 p.m., and jurors will return Friday morning for their seventh day of deliberations.

The wait can be brutal for attorneys and their clients, Yannetti told News Media.

“It’s torture,” he said. Trial attorneys like to be in control, he explained, but once the jurors are out, there’s nothing to do but watch and wait.

“You’re all just sort of on the frying pan, being cooked,” he said.

Read’s first trial ended with a deadlocked jury after five days in 2024. She was acquitted of all homicide-related charges after her second trial last year, when jurors deliberated for four days.

A shocking new horror movie centered on a deranged children’s mascot has reportedly sparked backlash from some parents, after they allegedly brought their kids to screenings without realizing what they were about to watch.

Buddy, which is loosely inspired by the classic children’s series Barney, follows a group of youngsters who become trapped inside a 1990s-style kids’ television program hosted by a towering orange unicorn named Buddy.

The pre-teens soon learn that the bright, smiling mascot is not the wholesome entertainer he appears to be, but a sinister creature who abducts and kills children, forcing them to fight for survival before they become his next targets.

Adding to the confusion, the film’s official poster offers little warning of its darker tone, showing only the grinning orange unicorn staring out from a fuzzy, static-filled television screen.

According to posts circulating on social media and Reddit, some parents have been seen taking children to the R-rated film after apparently mistaking it for light, family-friendly entertainment.

‘Saw a lot of kids in my auditorium last night, some younger than 8,’ one theatre employee wrote on Reddit. 

‘There were so many kids in my showing for buddy. What the heck is that about!’ added a second.

A third employee wrote, ‘I saw a mom complain that it was the theater’s fault when it definitely wasn’t. Parents should do their research.’

‘It’s amazing how many people will take their kids to movies without doing an ounce of research beforehand,’ wrote another.

‘Buddy is not Five Nights at Freddy’s – your kids aren’t making friends with the scary unicorn,’ added another.

Despite the controversy and its relatively low budget, Buddy is shaping up to be 2026’s next big horror hit.

The film opened with $5.36 million last weekend, more than doubling its early box office projections.

RELATED: Coco Gauff Fights Past Rival to Reach US Open Third Round

‘It takes a big risk, and we felt like that risk might be exactly what makes the movie work,’ Roadside Attractions head and co-founder Howard Cohen told IndieWire. 

‘It was specifically the risk of content, its extreme originality, provocative structure, and themes.’

Buddy is now set to open in even more theatres this weekend to capitalize on its unexpected performance at the box office. 

It stars Cristin Milioti, Topher Grace, and Keegan-Michael Key as the voice of Buddy, and was written and directed by Casper Kelly.

It’s already received strong reviews from critics, with the New York Post writing, ‘A horror-comedy that takes a scalpel—or, more accurately, several weapons—to its jaunty protagonist, all while reveling in his darkly disturbed spirit.’

IndieWire wrote, ‘It gets harder and harder to find something that feels fresh enough to be truly shocking and executed competently enough to transcend its gimmicks, and we should all celebrate when we find one.’ 

Buddy is the latest in a growing number of surprise horror hits at the box office this year.

Curry Barker’s Obsession is the biggest of the bunch, scaring up a jaw-dropping $505 million off a $1 million budget.

Backrooms was another smash, raking in $395 million.

Other horror hits include Scream 7, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, Insidious: Out of the Further, and Send Help. 

Coco Gauff entered Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday night with recent history working against her, having dropped her previous two meetings with Paula Badosa before their U.S. Open second-round clash — including a grass-court defeat in June at the Berlin Tennis Open.

Even with five losses in their eight career matchups, the 22-year-old American still arrived as the clear favorite under the lights in New York.

Gauff avoided being pushed to a third set and closed out a tense 6-4, 7-6(5) victory, extending her winning streak to eight matches and 16 consecutive sets while reaching the third round in Flushing Meadows for the fifth year in a row.

As the final point ended, Gauff raised both fists and unleashed a loud, emotional scream in celebration.

She will meet Spain’s Cristina Bucșa on Saturday.

“I think it’s good to be battle-tested,” Gauff said. “When I won here in 2023, I think I went three sets what felt like every match. … I think, for me, it’s a good confidence booster knowing that I can get through these matches. Obviously, I would prefer maybe not to play someone who I’ve lost to so many times in the second round, but I think today was a big confidence booster, and I think getting through in straight sets, too, makes a big difference.” 

Serving for the match twice before prevailing in the second-set tiebreak, Gauff admitted Badosa was not someone she wanted to see so early in her draw.

The 28-year-old Badosa has also been ranked as high as world No. 2, which Gauff pointed out during her on-court interview. 

Badosa was playing for a third consecutive day after she was forced to finish her first-round match Wednesday due to rain earlier this week, but she still pushed Gauff like usual. 

Gauff also said she had some nerves during the match. 

That much was evident early on in the first set, as the world No. 4 struggled to hold serve through the first few games. She had to come back from down 40-15 in her first service game to keep pace with Barbosa. 

By the sixth game, however, Gauff was putting the ball right where she wanted it. 

Both players traded off breaks in the second set before heading to a competitive tiebreak, which saw Badosa keep a close distance. She was able to knot the score at three-all, but Gauff came through for the victory. 

Gauff’s serve, which is much-improved and continues to be a hot topic, reached 121 mph Thursday night. 

Asked if she thinks she’d be able to hit 130 mph, Gauff couldn’t say for sure. 

“I don’t know if I can or not, that’s a good question,” she said. “We’ll see at the end of my career if I can. Maybe if if I’m up, like really up in a match, I might go for it. Sometimes, when I am up, I try to go for it. But I find when I don’t go for it, that’s when the speed is higher so. I don’t know, you have to just catch me on a real relaxed day.” 

Gauff is one of four women competing in the U.S. Open who could be world No. 1 by the tournament’s end.

Fellow American Jessica Pegula previously said she dreamed of being No. 1 in the world, rather than winning a Grand Slam. 

Asked how she viewed the two, Gauff said it was the opposite for her. 

“I’ve never thought about being number one,” she said. “I think just growing up watching Serena [Williams] play. … It was very clear she was focused on the Slam. So I think growing up watching her play, I just always had that mentality. Yes, it would be cool to be number one, but it’s not something that I’ve thought about, to be honest. 

“I definitely care, but I don’t think it’s something I’ll be nervous about. Honestly, if it happens, great. If not, no. I’m just more focused on winning Slams.”