15-Year-Old Surfer Breaks Neck to Avoid Collision with Surf Camp Kids

Back in late June, 15-year-old high school student Marcos Ornellas was surfing Bolinas Beach in Marin County, California when a life-threatening tragedy struck.

Ornellas was riding a wave towards shore, but there was a group of children, who were attending a surf camp, in his path. So, to avoid a collision with the kiddos, Ornellas dove off his board, smashing headfirst into a piece of hard-packed sand.

His friends found Ornellas face-down in the water; his neck was broken.

According to a GoFundMe page to support Ornellas’ medical bills:

“On June 29th 2023, Marcos, a rising junior & soccer player at Redwood and Marin FC, was surfing with friends in Bolinas when he fell off his board while riding a wave in. His friend noticed he was face down in the water and not moving. Upon turning him over, Marcos - who was thankfully still breathing - told his friend he could not feel his arms and legs. He was airlifted to Children's Hospital in Oakland where he underwent 8 hours of surgery to repair a broken neck and a spinal cord injury. He spent the next 10 days in the ICU and is now in a rehab facility where he is making small but meaningful progress every day.

“Marcos will have a long road to recovery, and Marcos' friends want to help raise money to assist his family with the expenses associated with this tragic accident and lengthy rehabilitation. He may have to take a year off school while he works to get his mobility back as much as possible. If you know Marcos, you know he has an amazingly positive outlook and doesn't give up, and he is fully engaged in this fight. Please help us relieve some of the financial pressure so he and his family can focus entirely on his recovery!

“We are very thankful to Marcos' friends who helped save his life, to the staff of the surf camp who were at the beach in Bolinas that helped the boys call 911 and deal with the emergency, and to the doctors, nurses, therapists and other professionals who have helped & will help Marcos recover.”

Check out the GoFundMe page; here’s to a speedy recovery for this young legend.

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