Paralyzed hiker’s best friend speaks out on incident
Evan LaLanne, the 18-year-old that fell 30 feet from the ever-popular Bishop Peak hiking trail just before the new year and became paralyzed from the waist down, is said to be in good spirits.
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Although LaLanne was flown from San Luis Obispo County to Stanford Health Care Hospital in Palo Alto for surgery to straighten and stabilize his spine, it’s not yet known if his paralysis will be permanent.
One of LaLanne’s best friends, Jacob Hubert, spoke exclusively with KCOY 12’s Sean Larsen about the hiking incident and what are LaLanne’s next steps on the road to recovery.
“So shocked, it was just over and over, me and my other friend Henry were just like this isn’t true, there’s no way this is Evan, he’s pulling a prank on us,” Lalanne’s friend Jacob Hubert said.
Hubert’s been been texting with his friend Evan and says he’s been remarkably positive about his situation.
“He sent me some funny pictures of himself and commenting on inside jokes that we’ve always had and references to his medical equipment,” Hubert said.
Lallane’s family has set up a Go-Fund-Me page with a goal of $60,000 to help pay for medical expenses. In just a handful of days, it’s already at more than $55,000.
“He’s just in good spirits and he’s referencing Youtube videos that we always watched together and it’s just really cool to see that he’s got this good attitude and I think he really believes he’s going to fully recover which is the one thing that you really need to have,” Hubert said.
