The February traffic accident that left 8-year-old Ny’Leek Ellison paralyzed from the neck down brought the Chester, Pennsylvania, community together. A GoFundMe page was set up. A “walk for justice” was organized and attended by family, friends, police and others heartbroken by the news.
But not everyone wishes Ny’Leek the best, it appears. His parents have come forward after “disrespectful” packages addressed to their son were sent to their home, said his mother, Antia Carrington, to Fox Philadelphia.
The packages, which had no return address, included a book called “The Little Pedestrian’s Guide to Traffic Rules,” a traffic safety coloring book, and a stop-and-go traffic paddle.
“Why would y’all send this to my house to my son?” Carrington said. “I felt as though somebody was trying to make a mockery of my son.”
Ny’Leek, accompanied by his brother Ny’Dir, was getting off a school bus when he was hit, police say, by a car driven by 22-year-old Caleb Campbell, who didn’t stop to check on his victim. He remained on the run for more than three weeks before he was captured by authorities and charged with aggravated assault by vehicle, a felony. Campbell is being held on a $500,000 bond.
According to police, Campbell sped around the bus and hit Ny’Leek as he crossed the road on his way home.
Ny’Leek sustained 10 broken bones and now requires a ventilator with a trach in his throat to help him breathe, his mother said. He remains in recovery at Shriners’ Children’s Hospital.
“He’s 8 years old and he’s paralyzed from the neck down, so he’s basically defenseless. So why direct this anger toward an innocent child?” said the boy’s father, Micah Ellison. “If it was something good they would have left their name or they would have sent a card, but there wasn’t none of that. It was somebody being smart or should I say somebody being ignorant or dumb.”
“This is unacceptable,” he said.
The packages have the parents concerned about Ny’Leek’s safety. They turned them over to Chester police, who have launched an investigation.
“I took it to the higher authorities so that somebody can address this situation,” Carrington said.
While his parents struggle to deal with the tragedy, Ny’Leek continues to inspire them.
“His spirits are up. His smile keeps my day bright even when it rains,” Ellison said.
Though he faces a long recovery, his mother remains hopeful Ny’Leek will one day walk again.
Carrington said she plans to attend every one of Campbell’s court hearings and hopes the case drags on long enough so that Ny’Leek can face the man who forever altered his life.
“Rather, it’s in a wheelchair, rather it’s walking in that courtroom, my son is going to be in that courtroom,” she said.
A GoFundMe, set up by Ny’Leek’s aunt Adrienne Crumpton, has so far raised more than $26,000.
“We’re asking for prayers and donations to help with the expensive costs of home modifications, medical equipment, In-Home care, and ongoing rehabilitation,” Crumpton wrote.
If you’d like to contribute, you can do so here.
