Two Hen Hud Seniors Suffer Serious Injuries in Falls
Two seniors in the Hendrick Hudson High School Class of 2020 suffered serious injuries in separate falls a few days after graduating.
Michael Alaio was released from a hospital on Saturday, according to his mother, Liz, after sustaining a serious head injury on June 24 falling off a boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey.
In a June 26 Facebook post, Liz Alaio stated Michael had surgery to remove the left side of his skull.
“If anyone can get through this, it will be him,” she stated. “Together if we make enough noise, God will have to intervene. Michael is the love of my life and we need him. My family and I are overwhelmed at the outpouring of love and support. We are forever grateful.”
Michael played soccer for the Sailors and is an avid Dallas Cowboys fan.
“Michael has a heart of gold,” his mother stated. “To know him is to love him. He is the funniest kid you’ll ever meet. I’ve always believed in miracles. My family and I desperately needed a miracle for Michael. God listened and heard all of the prayers from all of the people all over the world. I have never felt more grateful and blessed in my entire life. I am in awe of his strength and determination. I’ve never witnessed such bravery and resolve. I am so proud of Michael and so proud to be his mother. They told us in the beginning that Michael has a long road ahead but what the doctors didn’t know was that Michael knows all the back roads and short cuts.”
Meanwhile, in another tragic event, Alaio’s classmate, Matthew Rivera fell about 60 feet off a bridge in an undisclosed location and has been hospitalized since June 29 with seven fractured bones in his spine.
On a gofundme page set up by his older sister, Victoria Rodriguez, of Sandy Hook, CT, it stated Rivera also needed emergency surgery to stop internal bleeding from a ruptured spleen, fractured his jaw, cracked a few ribs, bruised his pancreas and had his four front teeth pushed back into the cavities.
“He is lucky to be alive and we are grateful to still have him with us,” Rodriguez stated. “He just turned 18 and just graduated high school a week ago. He has his whole life ahead of him, but he also has a whole lot of recovery ahead of him. He needs every help he can get, including his medical bills.”
To date, nearly 300 people have donated close to $16,000 to help Rivera, who was a member of the track and field team at Hen Hud.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
