Community comes together after Hauser child falls from window
CAROLYN BOSTICK | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months AGO
Four-year-old Cooper Wilhelm fell out of a second-story window Friday at his family's home in Hauser.
Courtesy photo
Carolyn Bostick has worked for the Coeur d’Alene Press since June 2023. She covers Shoshone County and Coeur d'Alene. Carolyn previously worked in Utica, New York at the Observer-Dispatch for almost seven years before briefly working at The Inquirer and Mirror in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Since she moved to the Pacific Northwest from upstate New York in 2021, she's performed with the Spokane Shakespeare Society for three summers. | August 28, 2024 1:07 AM
COEUR d'ALENE — Four-year-old Cooper Wilhelm was playing with his sister, Lainey Wilhelm, while waiting for friends to arrive Friday when the unthinkable happened.
Cooper accidentally pushed through the screen and fell out of the window from the second story of the house and landed on the sidewalk outside.
After being rushed to Kootenai Health and then Sacred Heart, Cooper's head injuries were too serious, and Cooper was taken by Life Flight to Seattle for treatment.
His aunt, Makayla Colbert, said that his head took on nearly all of the trauma impact from the fall.
"He had no other broken bones. He just went headfirst and shattered his face," Colbert said.
As 6-year-old Lainey called for her parents to help and they called the police, a neighbor with medical training was able to keep Cooper from moving and applied pressure as they waited for the ambulance to arrive, Colbert said.
"She was a saving grace in this situation," Colbert added.
Cooper has been through multiple surgeries, including brain surgery. His family is hoping the swelling in his nose goes down so that he can be safely woken up.
When he wasn't sedated, Cooper was responsive and could move his hands or feet.
"That’s really, really a good sign. As of right now things are stable, but there's not a lot of progress," Colbert said.
In the meantime, they're at the ICU and waiting day by day for changes.
Words of kindness from friends and strangers in the community have been a lifeline for the Wilhelms during their stay in Seattle.
"The outreach of complete strangers has been overwhelming with the prayer groups and a lot of churches sending all their prayers and good luck. It’s really keeping the family going right now," Colbert said.
The family has a GoFundMe page set up for the family's housing costs and Cooper's medical bills.
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