17-year-old paralyzed after diving into shallow pool, family says

Landon Elder, 17, has reportedly been hospitalized with severe injuries after diving into a shallow pool. (GoFundMe)

Cobb County, Ga.

A Georgia teen is reportedly fighting for his life after a diving accident happened over the summer.

Landon Elder, 17, has been in the intensive care unit at the Wellstar Kennestone Hospital since July 28, according to Sharon Byrd, who has created a GoFundMe account.

Byrd says the 17-year-old is her daughter’s boyfriend and she is organizing the fundraiser on behalf of the Elder family.

She said he was severely injured after hitting his head on the bottom of a shallow pool, breaking his neck and nearly drowning.

He was taken to the hospital after the accident, but Byrd says it has left him paralyzed from the chest down.

“Landon continues to be in the ICU, he knows he is paralyzed and is very afraid and fighting every single day for his life,” Byrd wrote.

Elder has reportedly needed multiple surgeries along with going through physical therapy.

“Landon has severe lung damage and is in a fight for his life,” Byrd shared. “Landon was a healthy 17-year-old boy having fun and now his life has been changed forever in a moment.”

Last weekend, Byrd updated Elder’s recovery. She said he is still struggling with his breathing and having a hard time speaking but hospital staff were able to get him some fresh air by wheeling him outside.

“Landon got to go see the sky the other day and that was awesome for him. He also started a little bit of physical therapy,” Byrd shared.

According to Byrd, the 17-year-old unfortunately still has no feeling from his chest down but the family is remaining positive.

“Hopefully, that will change soon! I know our God is awesome and can work miracles,” Byrd wrote.

Loved ones have thanked everyone for the support the family has already received while Elder continues his recovery.

“We love him, and I know you do too!” Byrd shared. “Thank you so much for donating to help with the many medical expenses this family is going to have.”

Video shows officer pulling man from burning truck before it explodes on interstate

Salisbury police released a video showing one of its officers rescuing a truck driver from a burning vehicle. (Source: Salisbury Police Department)

Salisbury, N.C.

An officer in North Carolina is being praised for his heroic actions.

According to the Salisbury Police Department, Lt. Corey Brooks rescued a truck driver from a burning tractor-trailer on Interstate 85 on Aug. 8.

This week, the department shared a video that was captured from the scene that evening.

Police said Brooks was responding after hours to a separate incident that night when he observed a truck hit the retaining wall and catch fire.

Brooks stopped and ran to the truck’s cab, where he found the driver, Michael Williams, unconscious.

He immediately called the incident in over his police radio but did not wait for assistance before springing into action.

Brooks pulled the man from the burning truck with the help of another driver before the truck’s cabin could be seen exploding.

As first responders arrived, the truck driver started to gain consciousness. He was then transported to the Wake Forest Baptist Hospital.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

Brooks has been a part of the Salisbury Police Department since 2001.

Mother of 4 warns other parents after finding twins suffocated in toy chest

A mother in Florida is spreading awareness after she says her twins were found suffocated in a toy chest. (Sadie Myers | Facebook)

Jacksonville, Fla.

A Florida mother says she is sharing her tragic story of losing her twins in hopes of helping other parents.

Sadie Myers said her 4-year-old twins recently suffocated in a toy chest while they slept.

“Not many will know the pain of losing two children at the same time and losing them in a way that makes no sense,” Myers shared.

According to Myers, last Friday night, the twins and her other two children were put to bed by their father, Don Starr.

She said at some point during the overnight hours, the twins woke each other up and started playing.

According to the mother, this was nothing unusual, as they usually woke up and played with one another before falling back asleep amongst their toys.

But this time, they fell asleep in their toy chest.

“They decided to snuggle up and go back to sleep in their cedar toy chest that we use to store all their stuffed animals,” Myers shared. “They pulled out all but a couple of stuffed animals. I guess they left some to keep it comfy in there, then they laid inside from head to toe with one arm each over.”

However, during their sleep, one of them must have moved or kicked during a dream, causing the lid of the old wooden cedar chest to close, Myers said.

According to Myers, the wooden toy chest closed on them and made it airtight and unfortunately soundproof.

“As they slept, all snuggled up together, they slowly ran out of oxygen within a couple of hours and passed away. They never even knew it was happening. There was no sudden gasp for air, it was a very slow transition from sleep to passing on,” she shared.

Myers said they discovered the twins’ bodies when she woke up the next morning while getting ready for work.

She said the family got worried when the twins were not in their beds.

“We all immediately started panicking, yelling for them, turning the house upside down, then Axton [one of her other children] yelled, “Mommy I found them! They are so silly just sleeping in the toy box,’” Myers said.

But the mother of four said she could tell something wasn’t right, “and within a few seconds quickly realized it was already too late.”

Myers said the twins’ death doesn’t make sense to her right now, but she hopes in some way her story can help other parents from experiencing the same tragedy.

“I hope knowing this helps in some way, and I hope if you have a toy box like this that you destroy it immediately!!!” the mother shared.

Myers’ sister has started a GoFundMe on behalf of the family.

“My beautiful sister and her wonderful husband were devastated a few days ago by the unexpected, incomprehensible loss of both of their beautiful 4-year-old twins in a tragic accident,” Deanna Myers wrote.

She added, “Please help me raise whatever it takes for these two amazing parents and their two remaining children to be able to grieve together without worrying about going back to work right away or stressing about coming up with money to pay bills or final expenses.”

The Myers family has thanked everyone for the support they have already received.

“I want to thank EVERYONE for your kind words and for all the support and donations given. You all have no idea what it means to me and my family to know there are so many people out there that care so deeply,” Sadie Myers shared in an update this week.

DiGiorno releases new pineapple pickle pizza that promptly sells out

DiGiorno says it has made its most contentious pizza yet – introducing DiGiorno's Pineapple Pickle Pizza. (DiGiorno | PRNewswire)

DiGiorno says it’s fueling a controversial pizza debate by offering a specialty pizza with both pineapple and pickle toppings.

Pizza toppings have always been a hot topic, especially pineapple and – more recently – pickles.

According to DiGiorno, its creative team “is saying yes to both” with its new Pineapple Pickle Pizza.

“Loaded with controversy, DiGiorno Pineapple Pickle Pizza brings together two of the most divisive toppings in pizza history,” the company shared.

DiGiorno representatives say the pizza has a hand-tossed crust, creamy garlic sauce, mozzarella cheese with dill pickles and chunks of pineapple split down the middle.

“Fans can battle it out to choose their favorite side!” the company shared on social media.

DiGiorno said it is making a limited number of its pineapple pickle pizzas available online for free this month while supplies last.

The company’s website said the product drop for this week is currently sold out, but a limited number of the specialty pizzas “will be dropped weekly” throughout the month.

Dog food being recalled over salmonella concerns

Victor Super Premium Dog Food, Hi-Pro Plus produced at a Texas production facility is being recalled. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

Mid America Pet Food is voluntarily recalling some of its dog food produced at its Texas facility.

A lot of Victor Super Premium Dog Food, Hi-Pro Plus produced at a Mount Pleasant, Texas, production facility is being voluntarily recalled.

According to the recall, the dog food involved could possibly be contaminated with salmonella.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration states that salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is a risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products.

The affected product was sold in 5-pound bags and distributed to various distributors and retailers in the United States.

The affected product consists of 644 cases with lot code 1000016385 with a best-by date of April 30, 2024. Lot code information is found on the back of the bag.

No other products are included in the recall.

The voluntary recall has been issued due to a single sample of Victor Super Premium Dog Food that tested positive for salmonella in a random sample test conducted by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture.

Retailers and distributors have been advised to immediately pull the recalled product from their inventory and shelves.

Customers should not feed the recalled product to pets or any other animals.

Pets with salmonella infections may be lethargic and have stomach issues.

If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has any symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

Healthy people infected with salmonella should also monitor themselves for any health-related issues such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping and fever.

Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with the product should contact their health care providers.

Currently, no human or pet illnesses have been reported in connection with the recalled product.

Mid America Pet Food Consumer Affairs can be contacted at 1-888-428-7544 for additional information.

The voluntary recall is reportedly being conducted in cooperation with the FDA.