Dalton Skinner, 18 years old from Fredericksburg Virginia, recently experienced a devastating car crash that resulted in a traumatic brain injury, fractured vertebrae, broken ribs and sternum, and other cuts and contusions. In light of the extensive medical bills and ongoing treatment expenses he faces, his family has launched a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of raising $15,000. They are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from friends and family during this challenging time. As the holidays approach, they appreciate the well wishes and kindness shown towards Dalton, wishing everyone a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year. Please read further for more information. 

My name is Justin Skinner, I am the father of Dalton Skinner, an 18 year old young man born in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Dalton is a typical 18 year old who loves his girlfriend/family, friends, cars, and animals. His life changed on November 10, 2025. Dalton was driving on a 2 lane road in Martinsburg, WV when his car lost control and struck a brick wall constructed at the entrance of a driveway. It’s unclear what caused the accident. There was no signs that Dalton attempted to jerk the wheel or quickly brake, as there were no tire or skid marks. Though we will probably never know exactly what the cause of the accident was, it seems most likely to involve some type of medical emergency. Dalton was unresponsive when the paramedics arrived and showed signs of having a seizure, which he was treated for at the scene. The damages to Dalton's body were severe.

Dalton was diagnosed with a severe traumatic brain injury called Diffuse Axonal Injury. Additionally, it was discovered that he had 2 fractured vertebrae, a collapsed lung, a few broken ribs, a broken sternum, facial fractures, and numerous cuts and contusions. He was initially treated at Berkley Medical Center where he was put on life support and underwent surgery to stabilize his spine. It was decided that due to the severity of Dalton's injuries, he would need to be transported to a facility with a higher level of care. On 11/12/25, he was flown to the level 1 Ruby Hospital in Morgantown, WV, where he was placed in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit.

The next few weeks were pretty tough for Dalton, and all of us, honestly. He developed a blood clot in his lung and arms. He was recovering well enough to have the intubation tubes removed upon arrival to Ruby, but due to developing pneumonia and his lung collapsing again, was placed back on intubation and under sedation on 11/17/25. A few days later, he was again removed from intubation and allowed to wake up. Within a few days, he was able to swallow some, and was placed on a restricted thickened liquid/puree diet.

He was cleared from the puree diet to regular food on 11/26, which allowed him to enjoy some delicious Thanksgiving food prepared by the great staff at Ruby. His brothers and a few other family members were able to visit that week, which lifted his spirits greatly!

Towards the end of November, it was decided that Dalton was well enough to begin treatment at The Shepherd Center, a rehabilitation facility in Atlanta, Ga. A medical transport flight was scheduled and on 12/3/25, Dalton and I made the journey South.

Since arriving at The Shepherd Center, Dalton has made great progress in his physical and cognitive abilities. He has had daily physical, speech, and vision therapy, and around the clock care as an inpatient resident of the facility. As of 12/20/25, he will be discharged from the hospital portion of Shepherd, and transferred to a residential living section, still in Atlanta, where he will begin outpatient treatment on 12/22. It is suggested that he will be in this phase for 4-8weeks.

This season of our lives has taken a major physical, mental, spiritual and financial toll on all of us. Due to his improving, but still present physical limitations, Dalton requires 24/7 supervision. As part of our family insurance plan, we have a $6000 maximum for out of pocket expenses per calendar year, which has been met for 2025 and will reset at the beginning of 2026. My employer has been phenomenal though out this process and has accepted my FMLA paperwork to care for Dalton, which allows protections for my employment but does not allow me to receive a regular paycheck. I had a few weeks paid leave but that was exhausted pretty quickly after the accident. Travel expenses, gas, food, and out of town incidentals have started to pile up pretty quickly.

I have had many people reach out and ask how they can help in a practical way, and the time has not really felt right to do any type of fundraising. God has provided everything we have needed. I am certain that Dalton's quicker than predicted recovery, which has surprised every medical professional who has been involved in his treatment, is because of the thousands of prayers from our family and friends. Everyone prayed, and it appears that God is answering those prayers. Dalton's body and mind are healing in ways that were unpredictable by medicine, because they don't have equipment to measure the power of God and the Holy Spirit working through Dalton. I firmly believe this. As for his future, it is still uncertain if or when he will be back to "normal", or even what his new normal may look like. Our ability to keep Dalton in Georgia for outpatient treatment is the best option to allow him a safe, structured environment to continue to heal. The Shepherd Center is providing us with an apartment to stay in during treatment which is about 20 minutes away from the facility, which is a blessing. Living expenses, such as food, gas, and other items needed daily are not included. Due to the last few months of travel and not working, our financial needs are beginning to be a little more unavoidable. Below are an approximate list of expenses thus far:

Here is an approximation of upcoming expenses through Q1 2026:

There will be probably be unexpected expenses along the way, which we will find solutions for when they arise. But to help Dalton be free of this medical debt and allow him a fresh start after recovery, and resources for his family to be present for him in the way he will require for a few months, I'm attempting to raise $15,000. This is not a request I ever expected to make, and understand that many families are struggling financially, and just as many have sick/injured love ones they are caring for also. If you made this far, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time out of your day to read about Daltons story. If contributing to Daltons recovery fund isn't something you are able to do, we request prayers, well wishes, positive vibes, whatever you might believe works. From our family to yours, we wish you all a safe and happy holidays!

Justin Skinner