After Baby's Tragic Accident, Arkansas Mom Warns Others

TRUMANN, AR — A bump on the head. That's what baby Colton's parents saw when the 7-month-old tumbled off a bed — just two feet off the floor — on March 17. The aftermath of the accident has changed the family's life forever. Now Colton's mother is warning other parents.

Paige Ferguson, who is originally from Illinois and now lives in Trumann, said she wants to make people aware that head injuries need to be taken very seriously.

The tragic accident happened when Ferguson and her fiance, Blake Linton, were at a get-together at a friend's home. In a video posted to a Facebook group created for the family, Ferguson said she did not have a bassinet or a crib, so when the infant fell asleep, she placed him on a queen-sized bed. Moments later, she heard a thud.

She told People she knew immediately that Colton had tumbled off the bed, and the baby began to cry. The couple ran into the room to find him on the floor.

"This started from him falling from a bed that is only (two feet) off the ground," the young mom wrote on GoFund Me. She told People she was sure she was just being a paranoid first-time mom. "He had a bump on his head. A bump. He was crying, acting alert and at one point even smiled," Ferguson wrote.

Still, the parents decided to immediately take Colton to a nearby hospital. On the ride there, Colton remained alert, Ferguson said. That's why the news shared by doctors came as such a horrifying shock.

"We thought for sure they were going to say he hit his head, has a bump, and he will be fine," Ferguson said. "Not the case...He fractured his skull and bled half of his entire blood volume into his brain."

Little Colton was taken by helicopter to a children's hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where he underwent emergency brain surgery. During the procedure, the infant went into cardiac arrest, the couple told People.

“They didn’t think he would live at all," Ferguson said. "I walked into the ICU after his surgery and the doctor came up to me. Her exact words were, ‘Ma’am, I need you to understand that most likely your son is going to die from this.'"

The new mom said the news was like a "horrible dream," adding that she's still trying to cope with disbelief.

The baby spent a month in the hospital, undergoing another brain surgery and receiving more than a dozen blood transfusions before he was well enough to go home.

"I'm going to be blunt here...Colton may not live," Ferguson wrote on GoFundMe in the days after the accident. "Colton may live and never walk or talk, Colton may be fine, Colton may be delayed. It's up in the air right now and he is still fighting for his life because we are not out of the woods."

The new mom, 26, also issued a plea to other parents.

"This is a nightmare. I don't want other parents going through this," she said. "I don't want any kid to go through this. Please take any hit to the head seriously.

"I need you to hear me," Ferguson wrote. "Get your kids checked out. Please. The old tale of 'if the bump is outward you're safe' is NOT true."

Ferguson called Colton's survival a "miracle," but said he suffered severe brain damage, telling People, "He’s not the same Colton that he was before ... He doesn’t babble anymore. He’s irritable all the time. He’s very stiff. I could be holding him, and I miss him so much."

The infant is now taking seizure medication after developing severe epilepsy from the accident. Colton also uses a feeding tube, and doctors expect him to have trouble walking and talking, according to the magazine.

Ferguson said she will do anything in her power to give Colton a good life. "I really think he’s going to do more than what [the doctors] think he will," she told People. "But I’m also very fearful for his future."

The GoFundMe Ferguson created has exceeded its original goal, raising more than $7,500 as of this week. A Facebook group for those who want updates on Colton's progress — or to offer messages of support — has also been established.

In a Facebook video shared to the group, Ferguson talked about the accident and also spoke about the negative comments she's seen since news outlets have begun covering the story. "There is nothing anybody can say to me or do to me that would make me feel any worse than I already do," she said.

Photo of baby Colton via GoFundMe. GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.