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Ashlee Robinson faces weeks – if not months – of recovery after being injured by a falling tree branch in Anderson River Park earlier this month.
The 34-year-old Anderson woman was biking with her two children on a path in the park on Aug. 17 when a large tree branch broke loose and fell on her, according to her friend Chelsea Scates.
Robinson was still in the hospital 11 days later with serious injuries that required three surgeries, Scates said.
“Initially, she had internal bleeding. Her second surgery was a spinal fusion because she had broken vertebrae, and then she had a lot of broken ribs, so that was the third surgery. She has a lot of chest injuries, like in the rib cage area. So it’s just not a good situation,” Scates said.
Robinson remains in the intensive care unit at Mercy Medical Center in Redding, she said. Even if Robinson is able to leave the hospital, she will most likely have a long road of rehabilitation ahead of her, Scates said.
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On the day Robinson was injured, a storm with strong winds passed through the Anderson and Redding area. The National Weather Service reported wind gusts reached 40 miles per hour that day.
Becca Howsman is hosting a fundraiser for the family on Sept. 8 at her restaurant, Becca’s Cafe, in Anderson, and will remember the four teenagers who helped save Robinson.
The four teenagers – freshmen at Anderson High School – were fishing at a pond in the park when they heard a loud crack as a branch broke off a tree, Howsman said.
The students rushed to the scene, found Robinson trapped under the branch, and lifted him off her, Howsman said. The four teens also called 911 and helped direct police and firefighters to the area where Robinson was injured, she said.
“The heroes of this story are these four young boys who attend Anderson High School and saved her life. She probably would have been seconds away from death,” Howsman said.
The boys – Brian Aldridge, Dante Crandall, Riley Gilleon and Chase Peets – will be presented with plaques in recognition of their efforts. They will also receive fishing poles and tackle boxes. Two professional fishing guides have also offered to take the boys on guided fishing trips on the Sacramento River, she said.
“We wanted to honor the boys and do something really special because you hear about all the bad things that happen – especially with teenagers and things like that – and if those boys hadn’t run, she wouldn’t be here today. So it’s just a really cool story that’s just unbelievable,” Howsman said.
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Scates teamed up with Howsman to run the fundraiser for the Robinsons, saying the family needed financial support to deal with Ashlee Robinson’s medical issues.
“Because her husband is driving back and forth from Anderson to the hospital several times a day, trying to keep his kids in school and give them a somewhat normal life. It’s going to be difficult and he hasn’t been working right now,” Scates said of Ashlee Robinson’s husband, Harley.
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Howsman said Robinson is a close family friend and longtime customer of her restaurant. She said the Robinsons “have been with Anderson forever.” “They’re just incredible people,” Howsman said. “She just has such a long road of recovery ahead of her” and will no longer be able to work, Howsman said of her friend. “When we heard about it, we jumped in right away to help them get through this. We just want to help out and take on some of the financial burden.”
The fundraiser will be held Sept. 8 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Becca’s Cafe, 2830 Childress Drive in Anderson. The event will include a spaghetti dinner, raffle, bake sale, ice cream cones and cotton candy, Howsman said. She said they will be giving away a Honda 125 motorcycle.
Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, via email at [email protected] and on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @damonarthur_RS. Support local journalism by subscribing today!
