The girl who had her wheelchair inexplicably pushed up a flight of stairs by an NHL crew govt and the previous participant’s son has spoken out in regards to the stunning incident caught on digicam – saying she plans to not settle for ” a cent” of the roughly $9,000 that has been. raised for her.
Sydney Benes, 22, tweeted late Wednesday night time that she is “so grateful” for the assist of the workers at Sullivan’s Pub in Erie, Pennsylvania — and the lots of of messages of assist she has acquired. .
“It was my chair that obtained pushed down the steps,” Benes posted. “I am so grateful for all of Sullivan’s assist on this state of affairs and the sort feedback I see on Julia’s put up. I swear I do not actually wish to hold a penny of the cash donated, I would moderately give it to those that want it” .
Sydney Benes and Nathaniel Sanders at Sullivans, a bar in Erie, Pennsylvania.
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Sydney Benes and Nathaniel Sanders at Sullivans, a bar in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Nathaniel Sanders/GoFundMe
A GoFundMe for Benes, organized by the bar’s director of safety, Nathaniel Sanders, says she is a double amputee who depends on a wheelchair to get round whereas studying to make use of her prosthetics.
Sanders stated he’s the one that took Benes to the primary flooring of the bar on Saturday so he may use the toilet — briefly leaving his wheelchair unattended on the high of a staircase. Seconds later, school hockey participant Carson Brière, the 23-year-old son of interim Philadelphia Flyers basic supervisor Daniel Brière, jumped up in a wheelchair whereas apparently joking with a buddy. He then stood up and pushed the wheelchair up a flight of stairs as he and the opposite man giggled.
The duo rapidly walked to the bar’s dance flooring after doing the push up.
The incident was captured on safety cameras and was shared on Twitter, the place it has been seen 33 million instances as of Tuesday morning.
“I do not normally put up something severe on my Twitter, however one thing occurred Saturday night time and (I) simply cannot abdomen the considered this child strolling away,” Julia Zukowski he wrote within the tweet, which additionally identifies Brière by identify.
Mercyhurst College, the small Catholic college the place Brière has been an excellent middle since 2021, issued an announcement to admonish his conduct, however didn’t announce any punishment.
“The actions proven within the video make our hearts heavy and fall wanting our Misericordia perception within the inherent dignity of each particular person,” the assertion stated. “We pray and stand in solidarity with the sufferer and all individuals with disabilities.”
The college’s athletic division stated Wednesday that Brière and two different unnamed pupil athletes have been suspended from crew actions whereas it investigates what occurred. Nevertheless, the hockey season for Mercyhurst ended earlier this month, so Brière is just not in imminent hazard of lacking any video games.
Each Brière and her father apologized in separate statements launched on Wednesday.
“There is no such thing as a excuse for my actions and I’ll do all the things I can to make up for this severe lack of judgment,” the youthful Brière’s assertion learn partly.
“I used to be shocked to see Carson’s actions within the video shared on social media yesterday,” Brière’s father wrote in his assertion. “They’re inexcusable and are fully towards our household’s values of treating individuals with respect. Carson may be very sorry and accepts full duty for his conduct.”
Saturday’s incident is not the primary time Brière has been in scorching water along with his collegiate crew. He was kicked off the Arizona State College hockey crew as a redshirt freshman for being a serial scorer, he stated. School Hockey Information. Mercyhurst was to be his second likelihood.
“I simply went out; I did not take hockey critically,” Brière stated in 2021 upon his launch from ASU. “It wasn’t something unhealthy, I simply wasn’t dedicated to hockey, I used to be extra dedicated to having enjoyable in school. An excessive amount of partying, that is most likely one of the simplest ways to place it.”
The wheelchair dive resulted in a damaged arm and different bent components, Fox 59 reported
Benes didn’t reply to interview requests from The Each day Beast.
Native reviews indicated that Brière was rapidly recognized because the particular person behind the push on Saturday night time. “I grabbed him by the shoulders and stated, ‘I’ve obtained a video of you rolling a wheelchair down the steps, like it is time to go,'” Sanders stated. WJET.
Sullivans, the place the incident occurred, was constructed earlier than the Individuals with Disabilities Act was signed into legislation in 1990, Sanders stated, and was thus persuaded to have solely first-floor bogs and no elevator. He stated safety will take somebody down the steps and again if he wants to make use of the toilet, however he cannot make the journey on his personal.
Sanders additionally recognized the second one who appeared to assist Brière push the wheelchair as Patrick Carozzi, a lacrosse participant at Mercyhurst.
No felony expenses have been introduced by Erie police for the athlete, though Benes’ GoFundMe says he filed a police report this week.
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