A Leeds fan is reportedly fighting for his life in hospital after falling from a tree during the club’s Championship-winning celebrations this week.
The English club booked their spot in the Premier League after their win against Plymouth courtesy of Tottenham loanee Manor Solomon striking deep in stoppage time.
Leeds then took their celebration to the streets on Monday, with over 150,000 fans turning out for the club’s trophy parade.
But as fans stormed the streets and scaled lampposts, traffic lights, and bus stops for a glimpse of their promotion heroes, tragedy struck in the midst of the celebrations.
Ed O’Brien is thought to have fallen from a tree in Millennium Square while taking part in the parade, with the 23-year-old promptly rushed to hospital.
A JustGiving page was launched in the wake of his serious injury, with a friend stating that O’Brien was ‘fighting for his life’ and in a coma.
The page has already exceeded its £70 target, raising a staggering £10,801 at the time of climbing.
As per the Sun, O’Brien’s mother Stacey Barker explained that he was not out of control when the tragic accident took place.
‘As far as I am aware, he had consumed alcohol, but I am confident he wasn’t paralytic as some posts are suggesting,’ Barker wrote.
‘I am also as confident as a mother can be that no other substance was involved.’
Barker also told the BBC: ‘Ed and his siblings are incredibly close and they’re feeling his absence acutely, as are his dad and I.’
O’Brien, who turned 23 last week, is currently being treated at Leeds General Infirmary.
Barker confirmed that O’Brien had undergone surgery, but that potential damage to his brain was currently unclear.
‘We wanted to minimise the countless untruths which are currently circulating around Ed’s condition and also to urge people to consider what they are writing on social media for Ed’s loved ones to see,’ Barker said.
‘We are going through one of the worst things a parent can go through and some of the unwarranted comments are further compounding our heartache as a family.
‘Ed is just a young man who made a mistake and he’s paying for it dearly
