MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) -- A Montgomery County middle schooler has been at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt for nearly three weeks, having undergone emergency brain surgery after he was reportedly put in a chokehold by an older student on a bus.
According to Jamie Horton, her 12-year-old son, Hayden Horton, was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for more than a week, but now he's out. However, he has yet to talk, walk, or even eat solid foods.
Jamie acknowledged that multiple agencies -- including the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and the Tennessee Department of Children's Services (DCS) -- are investigating what happened.
Specifically, the mother is questioning why two adults on that Montgomery County school bus allegedly watched her child being choked but took no action or even reported it as she said.
With tears in her eyes and pain in her heart, Jamie told News 2 how hard the last few weeks have been.
"It was a nightmare, like, you wait to wake up," she said. "He's a happy kid. He plays video games, he makes jokes, he loves his sister, he loves his grandparents, he loves his stepdad who's his best friend."
Jamie said her son can't speak yet, but he is communicating from his hospital bed: "He hasn't talked yet...He blinks his eyes; we get some head nods, some fist bumps, cheek kisses."
It all began on Oct. 11. Hayden, a Kenwood Middle School student, was reportedly on a bus that was picking up high schoolers on the ride home. Then, according to Jamie, a 16-year-old student put her son in a chokehold for some reason.
"It went on for a while. They had him in a headlock. He didn't fight back," Jamie said, adding that Hayden's 15-year-old sister saw the incident and rushed onto the bus to help him.
Jamie told News 2 that the school bus driver and a school bus aide both witnessed the chokehold: "There were adults present and they didn't do anything."
According to the mother, the bus incident was captured on camera. She hasn't seen that video, but investigators who have watched it reportedly told her one of the adults on the bus said, "Tap out, man," a wrestling phrase that means submit to your opponent.
"How do you feel about that, knowing there's two adults standing there watching your son get choked in a bus?" News 2's Andy Cordan asked.
"I feel like it instigated it," Jamie replied.
Over the next nine days after the choking incident, Jamie said Hayden got sicker and sicker at home, experiencing headaches and mobility issues.
Then, on Oct. 20, the 12-year-old was brought to Monroe Carrell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Jamie said the doctors told her that Hayden had been experiencing blood clots that caused multiple strokes, which ultimately led to emergency brain surgery.
"We found out that he had been having strokes, and that he had had a massive stroke based on a tear in his neck," she said.
"They said he had a tear in his neck. Would that be consistent with the incident on the bus?" Cordan questioned.
"It's the only thing that lines up," Jamie answered.
According to Jamie, her son's decline began with the chokehold on the school bus.
"What do you want to say to those people on the bus, the adults?" Cordan asked.
"You're hired to take care of kids. It's your responsibility to keep them safe. You send your kids to school every day and expect them to come home in the way that you left them," the mother replied.
Even though Hayden is out of the ICU, his mother said he is still working on physical, occupational, and speech therapy every day to help him regain speech and mobility. When her son is released from the hospital, Jamie told News 2 he will more than likely have to leave the state for special rehab.
News 2 has reached out to multiple agencies, all of which indicate they are investigating the incident. Since this is an active case, neither the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System nor the sheriff's office nor DCS would comment about this story. However, the Montgomery County District Attorney did tell News 2 his office is looking into and gathering information about the incident, adding that it is a terrible situation.
Meanwhile, Jamie said the teachers and staff at Kenwood Middle School have been very caring and sympathetic, even reaching out to the family about Hayden.
The Horton family has started a GoFundMe to help offset the astronomical expenses accruing from Hayden's treatment. If you would like to make a donation, follow this link.