Kevin Durant, other Thunder players visit OSU parade victims in hospital
The state of Oklahoma was rocked by tragedy this Saturday when a Stillwater woman drove her car into the Oklahoma State homecoming parade, killing three adults and one two-year-old boy and injuring more than 40 others. Twenty-five-year-old Adacia Chambers has been charged with four counts of second-degree murder, but the healing process will go well beyond legal proceedings.
The nearby Oklahoma City Thunder did their best to help on Monday, visiting victims at OU Medical center. These photos show Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and others meeting with patients and their families (via Bleacher Report):
The official Thunder website has more:
Nick Collison, Anthony Morrow, Andre Roberson, Mitch McGary and Cameron Payne all met with the Schmitz’s and other families at the OU Medical Center – shaking hands, signing autographs and taking pictures with visitors and staffers. […]
Across the street at OU Children’s Hospital, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Enes Kanter met with two children who were injured in the incident, bringing a smile to their day as well. The visit from the players was also a morale boost not just to the families and victims but also the doctors, nurses and staff on hand who spend every day at work trying to save lives.
“A lot of times when patients or their families are dwelling on the negatives of what could potentially happen, these events help shift that and let them focus on other things for a little bit and allow them to escape the reality they’re sitting in,” said Attending Trauma Surgeon Jason Lees. […]
“I love having all the pictures with all the guys because I’m hoping that one of these days my brother will wake up and I can show him the support that was here when he was here,” [Lester] Schmitz said.
The article includes more photos of the visit. The OSU football team has also visited victims and participated in vigils.
The Thunder’s gesture is a small one in the grand scheme of things, but it seems to have been valued as many people and their families recover from this terrible event. Here’s hoping they continue to be involved beyond Monday.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
