By Rory Mcclannahan
Mountain View Telegraph
It was the kind of phone call no parent ever wants to get.
But when Wendell Upton of Moriarty picked up the phone on June 29, it was a doctor in Alabama with bad news about his sons, 11-year-old Rippen and 9-year-old Brody.
“The doctor told him he had to say goodbye to his son over the phone,” Annamaria Costlow, the boys' stepmother, said.
Rippen died, and Brody is clinging to life with brain injuries as a result of a June 29 crash near Dothan, Ala.
The boys, who lived in Moriarty with their father and stepmother, were on a two-week visit with their mother, Crystal Finnegan of Columbus, Ga. They were riding in a pickup with Finnegan, when, according to police, the truck appeared to hydroplane into an oncoming lane, striking a church bus. Police told the Dothan Eagle newspaper that Finnegan had said the cruise control on her vehicle was set for 75 mph before the crash, but the posted limit was 50 mph.
Brody Upton is still in critical condition at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, Ala. and Costlow said Wendell Upton has been by his side since flying to Alabama after the crash. Costlow said doctors report that Brody has extensive brain injuries.
“It's the most horrific thing you can imagine,” Costlow said. “His body is working very hard against his injuries.”
Both of the boys attended Moriarty Elementary School, where Rippen was to be in sixth grade and Brody was set to take on fourth grade.
Both the boys loved being outdoors.
“They loved outdoor activities and spent most of their time outside,” Costlow said.
A funeral for Rippen has not yet been arranged, Costlow said, and won't until Brody is in more stable condition.
According to the Dothan Eagle, Finnegan has been treated and released from the hospital. In addition, 23 people were admitted to hospitals due to the accident, the Dothan Eagle reported. Most were treated and released, but six people involved in the crash are still under care.
The Houston County, Ala., district attorney told the Dothan Eagle that results of the police investigation will be presented to a grand jury.
Costlow said the family is trying hard to fight the bitterness against Finnegan, but that it is difficult.
“We've asked her, 'Please help us help Brody.' But she won't,” Costlow said.
Costlow explained that doctors have asked family members to give Cody stimulation by talking to him and touching him, which Costlow said Finnegan refuses to do.
Two bank accounts have been set up for the Upton family to help cover costs. The first is at Irwin Union Bank at 7401 Jefferson NE in Albuquerque. An account has also been set up at the First Community Bank in Moriarty.
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