MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A boy is out of the intensive care unit (ICU) and recovering at home after reportedly being choked on a Clarksville-Montgomery County school bus back in October, which ultimately led to emergency brain surgery.
After spending more than two months at hospitals, including Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and an out-of-state rehab hospital, 12-year-old Hayden Horton is finally back home.
However, Jamie Horton said she has some serious questions about why nobody is being charged for the unprovoked attack on a school bus that almost killed her child.
News 2 spoke to the mother and son on Wednesday, Jan. 8 over FaceTime. Hayden was initially reluctant to speak, but he warmed up quickly and said he’s “doing good.”
📧 Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts →
According to his mother, after brain surgeries and multiple strokes that almost killed him, the Montgomery County middle schooler can now smile, wave to friends, brush his own teeth, and do other kid things. She sent News 2 pictures of Hayden eating hamburgers, laughing, and hanging out with friends and family.
“He is doing amazing, better than anybody could have anticipated, proving people wrong every day,” Jamie said, adding that her son is re-learning to speak and walk.
Due to his traumatic brain injury, Hayden is still not able to process visual information quickly. Jamie said he can see things in a familiar space, but if new items are added to the floor or living space, his brain doesn’t immediately process the visual information, which means he might trip over an item his brain doesn’t see or walk into a wall his brain doesn’t know is there.
Jamie told News 2 the strokes near the visual cortex of Hayden’s brain are responsible for this misfiring of information, but she said he is getting better every day.
“His eyes are great. His eyes are 100%. It’s how his brain’s processing the images,” she said.
According to Jamie, the nightmare began Oct. 11, 2024, on a Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) bus when a 16-year-old boy put her son in a headlock for an unknown reason.
“He doesn’t think that the kid meant to hurt him the way that he did,” Jamie said.
Jamie said the school bus driver and a school bus aid both witnessed the chokehold but didn’t take action. In addition, the incident was reportedly captured on camera, but Jamie still hasn’t seen the video.
In the days following the choking incident, Hayden’s mother said he got sicker and sicker at home, experiencing headaches and mobility issues. The family rushed him to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt on Oct. 20, 2024, where the boy underwent emergency brain surgery after experiencing blood clots that caused multiple strokes.
“Did you ever think you would see him standing again?” News 2’s Andy Cordan asked.
“Honestly, no,” Jamie replied. “The way the doctors kind of talked to me, it was more of his balance was going to be so impacted.”
On Tuesday, Jan. 7, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to News 2 that the criminal case is closed, adding that no charges will be filed against the 16-year-old who allegedly choked Hayden or against the two adults on the bus.
“Are you angry, as a mother, that your son was attacked, almost killed, and nobody’s being held accountable to this moment?” Cordan questioned.
“I don’t understand and I don’t know what’s going on, and that’s the frustrating part is that I feel like I’m not in the loop,” Jamie answered.
Officials from the Tennessee Department of Children’s services told News 2 they’re still investigating the matter. However, a CMCSS spokesperson said the two adults who were on the bus during the choking incident are still suspended without pay.
Jamie said Hayden won’t be going back to school this year, but hopefully he will next year. In the meantime, CMCSS is sending a teacher to their home twice a week to help him with classroom instruction.
According to Jamie, Hayden remembers the choking incident but not what led up to it. She added that the boy has many memory gaps, including much of the time he spent in the hospital.
At the end of Wednesday’s interview, Jamie turned to her son and asked, “You gonna say bye to everybody?”
The boy smiled before waving and saying, “Bye.”
The Horton family has a GoFundMe to help offset the astronomical expenses from Hayden’s treatment, which is now more than half a million dollars. If you would like to make a donation, follow this link.
