A Texas teenager with autism is at risk of permanent blindness after a so-called friend threw cleaning powder into his eyes.
“Kids with autism don’t always know how to choose good friends,” said Amy Morgan, the victim’s mother. He told ABC13.
Her son, Brody, 18, was walking with two friends in their suburban Houston neighborhood last week when a playful altercation turned violent. Police claim.
The three rushed back to her house with her crying son, who had an apparent eye injury, but they tried to hide what substance was burning Brody’s eye, leading Amy Morgan to suspect it was salt.
She tried washing his eyes with saline and water, but it didn’t work, and she didn’t learn the full story until she rushed him to hospital.
Police said one of the boys had stolen a package from a nearby home during a walk, which he broke open to find “a container filled with a powder-like substance.”
That’s when 17-year-old Branden Jolly allegedly opened a bottle and threw the contents onto Morgan’s shirt.
According to court documents, Morgan pushed Jolly away, and Jolly again threw the contents, this time at Morgan’s face.
Police said Morgan was rushed to a local hospital’s burn unit where he was treated for chemical burns to his face and eyes.
Doctors later discovered the chemical in Brody’s eye was a drain unclogger, which was clearly marked on the outside of the container, according to records obtained by ABC13.
Jolie was reported by police to have [Morgan’s] One of the “friends” was arrested two days later and charged with felony assault with injury to a disabled person.
The boy’s mother told the outlet that the whole incident was an accident and that she believes the chemicals fell from her son’s hand after Brody “attacked him.”
“Our family is extremely upset by the details of this incident on both sides. I am deeply saddened by this entire incident and my heart goes out to Brody and his family. We believe this was not a malicious act by our son to hurt his friend, but rather an accident that occurred as a result of choices made by all involved,” Jolie’s family said in a statement.
Morgan’s recovery path is unknown and his injuries are described as serious and unpredictable.
“Those chemicals could still continue to break down,” Amy Morgan said.
