ACCIDENTS & INJURIES
UPDATED: FEBRUARY 12, 2023 AT 10:18 PM
Creed Leonard, 20 years old, on this first day of the MTC house. (Courtesy: Chad Waggoner)
St. GEORGE, Utah – A missionary from St. George, Utah, is now in a rehabilitation hospital after being hit by a car two and a half months ago.
Creed Leonard, 20, was crossing the street with his fellow missionary on the night of November 30 in Boston, Massachusetts, when the two were hit.
“It’s kind of one of those worst nightmare scenarios,” said Chad Waggoner, Leonard’s father.
He said the details of the situation are unclear and that it is still under investigation.
“They were actually crossing the road to meet someone who was going to take them to a lesson they were teaching that night,” Waggoner explained.
Leonard’s partner broke several bones but is recovering at home. Leonard has been in a Boston hospital since the collision caused a traumatic brain injury.
He had finished his freshman year at Brigham Young University six months earlier and had been serving a Spanish-speaking mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“He’s still in what they call a mid-conscious state,” Waggoner said, “so he’s waking up, but he’s not fully responsive yet.”
Leonard is making progress. He was recently transferred to a rehabilitation hospital in Boston, where he is expected to be for the next five to eight weeks.
As expenses mount, people can now donate through GoFundMe*.
Wagoner has been visiting the hospital on the other side of the country as much as he can, while his wife has rented an apartment near the hospital to be near their son.
“He’s been there for her,” Waggoner said. “If you can imagine that, he was injured, it was a couple of months ago, and she’s been in the hospital for all the visiting hours there have been since her accident.”
Leonard’s recovery could take years.
“A mother’s love is important in this healing process,” she added.
The family is updating people through the Messages for Creed Facebook page, which has more than 2,000 followers.
*KSL TV does not guarantee that money deposited into the account will be applied to the benefit of the persons designated as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit into the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
