The Kansas City Chiefs issued a statement on Friday, Nov. 19, stating that they will take care of 5-year-old Ariel Young, who was seriously injured in a car crash reportedly caused by Britt Reid earlier this year. Reid was then an assistant coach with the team.
The team stated that after working with Young’s family and medical experts, it has developed a plan to ensure Young will receive long-term support.
“Ariel’s recovery is a long road, but she has made great strides and continues to improve every day,” the statement said. “Earlier this fall, she attended her first day of school.”
Young suffered catastrophic injuries, including severe brain trauma, after Reid — head coach Andy Reid’s son — allegedly slammed his pickup truck into the back of a vehicle she was in on Feb. 4 in Kansas City.
Young’s recovery has been slow, but she is making progress according to the family’s attorney.
The joint statement from the Chiefs and Young’s attorney read:
Over the last several months, representatives of the Kansas City Chiefs, Ariel Young and Ariel’s family have worked together, alongside medical experts, to develop a plan to take care of Ariel — both now, and for the rest of her life.
The Chiefs and Ariel’s attorney, Tom Porto, announce today that the parties have finalized a comprehensive care plan that provides Ariel with world-class medical care and long-term financial stability.
Details of the plan were not made public.
Frankly, it’s hard not to see the Chiefs doing the right thing here. This was an innocent little girl who was almost killed by one of its employees.
In a non-sports-world context, perhaps this would go differently if the person who committed the crash was unemployed or didn’t work for a deep-pocketed organization or company.
No doubt Ariel Young’s family wishes none of it ever happened.
Hopefully, the knowledge that the financial burden of her recovery will not rest on their shoulders will allow them to provide all the love and emotional support Ariel will continue to need on her journey.
Regardless of the prognosis, her life is forever altered by this senseless and avoidable tragedy.
