CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) – An 18-year-old is in a medically induced coma after a horrific sledding accident at Jefferson Forest National Park.
On Saturday night, Ashton Hodge and a group of friends visited the park to have a fun night in the snow. He later left fighting for his life.
Moments leading up to life-altering accident, Matthew Leiser never expected what would happen to his best friend.
“When we were airborne, it was like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be fun,’” remembered Leiser.
A tube he shared with Hodge hit a dirt mound while they were sledding late in the evening. Leiser flew right and Hodge flew to the left, barreling head first into a tree.
“I thought he was fine, but I saw blood coming from his nose and his ears and realized he had a fairly traumatic injury,” said Leiser.
Immediately, Leiser checked Hodge’s vitals and cleared his airways. He and their other friends drove him to LewisGale Hospital, where doctors say Leiser’s efforts kept Hodges alive despite a fractured skull and two brain bleeds.
“I was scared,” said Olivia Howell, Hodge’s sister. “The worst was going through my head, I was in a panic.”
Nearly one week later, Howell has calmed down. She said he’s in stable condition, getting better by the day.
“This morning, I actually walked in his room and he had his eyes open and he waved at me, and he lifted his hand up,” she said.
But the process is far from over. For now, Hodge’s is staying in the intensive care unit, and later will move on to the progressive care unit and rehabilitation.
“Just pray for him,” pleased Howell. “We also have a GoFundMe set up for Ashton, and any donations are very much appreciated for Ashton and those are all going towards his medical bills.”
Copyright 2025 WDBJ. All rights reserved.