Wife of Youtuber who suffered brain injury in car accident says he's taking 'positive step in right direction'

Andrew Cross’ wife Evelyn has also announced her plan to fast for 24 hours as she prays for her husband’s full recovery.

Influencer Andrew Cross, who is known as 'Desert Drifter' on YouTube, was seriously injured in a car accident on the night of Friday January 31.

The 34-year-old social media star, who is a desert adventurer and former Grand Canyon tour guide, sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in the accident. He was rushed to hospital and immediately given brain surgery to bring a bleed on his brain under control. He has been in intensive care ever since, but is in a stable condition.

Just less than a week after his accident, doctors discovered the influencer had suffered a series of strokes. Then, earlier this week, Cross had an MRI scan to discover the extent of his injuries and his family were told the star had ‘severe injuries’ and his ‘prognosis [was] not good’.

The health updates have been given on a Caring Bridge page which has been set up to update Cross’ friends and fans on his condition. Evelyn has returned to the page to give a better update on her husband. Yesterday, (Wednesday February 19), she wrotre that she had been able to “celebrate a sweet moment” in Cross’ recovery journey.

She said: “Andrew’s neurosurgeon came by for a neuro exam and Andrew not only responded to pain as he has been but demonstrated a localized response per the neuro team. This was a positive step in the right direction that we are very grateful for.”

Later in the post, she said that she and other loved ones would be carrying out a 24 hour fast this weekend as she continued to pray for her husband’s full recovery. Others were also invited to join the fast if they wished. “We are going to be fasting and praying from Friday 2/21 at sundown to Saturday 2/22 at sundown for Andrew’s healing. We welcome all who feel called to participate,” she wrote.

Evelyn also thanked everyone who had sent their well-wishes for her husband. She said: “Thank you to all the friends and family who have texted Andrew’s phone. I have been gradually reading your prayers and messages to him. We are so grateful for you all.”

Cross, who set up his Youtube channel in 2023 and has 400,000 followers, was on his way back from filming a video at Bears Ears National Monument, Utah, when he was involved in the car accident. The precise circumstances of the incident are still not clear.

A GoFundMe page has been set up by family friend Hannah Schweitzer to help Cross’ family pay for his medical expenses. At the time of writing, on the morning of Thursday February 20, more than $417,000 (around £330,000) has been raised.