Stillwater police officers who responded after Merida Gibson, the 2 year old girl who was run over in the driveway of a city residence Thanksgiving Day, realized they had a connection with the victim’s family.
They met the family earlier that day when the family came to the police department to deliver meals for officers who couldn’t be at home for the holiday.
“The family, filled with grief, still came to each one of us and thanked us for being the ones that responded for their granddaughter … The cops prayed with the family when the helicopter left,” Patrol Lt. Kerry Bell wrote in an end of shift email.
The officers have continued to help the family by raising money to cover some short-term expenses as Merida remains hospitalized at The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center.
“City Manager Norman McNickle said they learned this week that one of the officers put an envelope at 7 a.m. this past Friday for donations to the family,” “By 5 p.m., the envelope was filled with $800 in donations from within the department.”
The money was transferred onto a debit card to help meet immediate needs and delivered to the family along with a signed greeting card.
A spokesperson for OU Medical Center said Merida remained in “fair” condition on Wednesday afternoon.
Family friend Amanda Maturkanich posted an update Tuesday evening on the family’s GoFundMe page saying the girl was off sedation and had been able to watch some cartoons.
“The attending doctor requested a specialist to look at the MRI results, but so far there is no apparent brain or nerve damage, so everyone is very hopeful that her recovery, while long, will be complete save for a wild scar,” Maturkanich wrote.
