Old Bridge Teen Wrestler Paralyzed After Spinal Cord Injury

OLD BRIDGE, NJ — The 16-year-old Old Bridge girl who was critically injured in a wrestling match Saturday currently cannot walk because multiple vertebrae in her spinal cord in her neck were displaced, according to Old Bridge High School wrestling head coach John Post.

The teen, pictured here, can only slightly move her arms. She's had two surgeries to try to restore movement, but as of Monday afternoon, she cannot move her legs, said her coach.

The Old Bridge teen was pinned by a Perth Amboy High School wrestler, also a teenage girl. The Perth Amboy wrestler pinned her and at the end of the match, the Old Bridge teen said she was unable to move or get off the mat. She reported extreme pain in her neck.

The Perth Amboy wrestler was not issued any penalties, and witnesses say she used all routine wrestling moves during the match.

"At approximately 12:00 p.m. this past Saturday, (the teen/name redacted) competed in the final match of the day," Post wrote Monday in this public Facebook post. "During the match, she was taken down and pinned by an opponent from Perth Amboy. Following the conclusion of the match, (she) did not get up. Our athletic trainer responded immediately to evaluate her condition. (She) reported severe neck pain and indicated that she was unable to move her arms or legs. Emergency Medical Services were contacted immediately."

The injury happened during a girls' quad wrestling match, where girls' teams from four high schools compete against each other in an all-day tournament, held at Old Bridge High School.

The injured girl, a junior at Old Bridge High School, was taken out of the Old Bridge HS gym on a backboard and rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. Since Saturday, she has undergone two surgeries to her spinal cord, with the most recent surgery on Monday.

She has gained limited movement back to her arms, but is unable to move her legs, said her coach.

"Since the incident, (she) has undergone neck surgery," he continued. "Medical evaluation revealed that her spinal cord at the C4, C5 and C6 levels was displaced and compressing the nerves, resulting in loss of movement ... Following surgery, (she) regained some movement in her arms; however, she currently does not have movement in her legs. (She) is scheduled to undergo a second surgery today, February 2nd, to further stabilize her neck and, hopefully, provide additional relief. Doctors remain hopeful that as inflammation decreases over time and with continued treatment, Adriana may regain additional movement in her arms and legs."

The head coach said he and others have been by her side in the hospital since Saturday. Old Bridge school officials also visited the girl in the hospital. All doctors can do right now is hope the swelling and inflammation goes down, said the coach.

Here is the GoFundMe that was created for the injured teen: https://www.gofundme.com/f/sup...

Girl, 16, Critically Injured In Wrestling Match At Old Bridge High School (Monday)