Austin father needs your help

UPDATE:

We want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has donated, shared, and supported our family during this incredibly difficult time. Your generosity and kindness have meant more than we can put into words.

At this time, we will be turning off donations to this GoFundMe. We feel so blessed by the outpouring of support and want to thank each of you for standing by us.

If you’re still looking for ways to support, we encourage you to consider donating to local organizations that advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and anti-violence initiatives.

Thank you again for everything.

Original Post Below:

We are reaching out on behalf of our son, who sustained serious injuries after being assaulted this past Saturday at the Barton Springs spillway in Austin, TX.

He had been out riding his bike and stopped at the spillway to cool down. While there, he witnessed a group of men harassing a group of young women, including a transgender woman. According to witnesses, the men were groping the women and making degrading comments suggesting they were all transgender. One witness reported seeing a man — wearing orange shorts — punching the women. After this same man shoved one of the women to the ground, our son stepped in to defend her.

While he was focused on the man in the orange shorts, another man in the group — wearing a hat — blindsided him from the side. The force of the blow knocked him to the ground at full weight and his head hit the large rocks surrounding the swimming hole. This left him unconscious and he had to be transported to the hospital.

He sustained an injury to his head, a concussion and a broken jaw. A CT scan revealed that part of the jaw fracture is pressing into his ear canal, which has also caused bleeding from his ear.

Our son is a single father raising a young boy. He works as a foreman for a small construction company, but he doesn’t have health insurance or paid medical leave.

He’ll need to have his jaw wired shut for months, and his recovery will result in significant financial hardship — including lost wages, hospital and surgery bills, the cost of a liquid diet, and other medical expenses related to his injuries.

He didn’t know the women he stepped in to protect — he met them that day. He wasn’t looking for a fight. He acted because he believed it was the right thing to do.

We don’t yet know the full cost of his recovery, but we want to ensure he can access the care he needs to return to work and continue providing for his son.

Any donation — even $1 — truly helps. We are deeply grateful for your kindness, support, and generosity during this difficult time.