A 12-year-old player from Utah, whose team is set to play in the Little League World Series, had to undergo emergency surgery for a severe head injury that he suffered when he fell off the top bunk of a bed early Monday morning.
Easton Oliverson, who pitches and plays outfield for the Snow Canyon team out of Santa Clara, Utah, suffered the head injury when he fell in a dorm located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He then was airlifted to a children's hospital in the state, where he remains in intensive care.
Oliverson's father, Jace, gave an update on his son's condition through Facebook and said doctors told him his son had punctured an artery, which caused bleeding on the brain, and needed a piece of skull removed.
"He went through pretty traumatic surgery to get to where he's at, but the doctors are all really positive," Spencer Beck, Easton Oliverson's uncle, told the Salt Lake Tribune. "All of the steps moving forward have been good so far."
Beck told the newspaper that Oliverson is in the ICU while doctors wait for swelling in his brain to decrease. Beck told The Associated Press that his nephew is still using a breathing tube.
Beck told the newspaper that his nephew's fall woke up one of his teammates, who alerted others.
"Had that other player not been wakened by him falling, he may not have made it," Beck told the newspaper.
"When they got into surgery, the doctor talked to Jace and said had he not gotten into surgery but 30 minutes later, he would have been dead," Beck told the AP.
Little League World Series officials released a statement Tuesday that said they spoke with the Oliverson family and "were pleased to hear that his medical team remains encouraged by his progress.''
The Snow Canyon team, representing the Mountain Region, is set to play its first game in the Little League World Series on Friday at 3 p.m. ET. Jace Oliverson is an assistant coach on the team.
The Santa Clara team was the first from Utah to make the Little League World Series.
"As hard as it will be to not have Easton out there playing, they're still from this community, this is still a historical moment for the state, for Little League and for our community,'' Beck said. "We're cheering them on and maybe they'll have a little inspiration from Easton and they'll go win it all. That would be awesome.''
The Associated Press contributed to this report.