Youtuber who suffered brain injury in car accident may not 'regain consciousness' as sister describes 'bleak picture'

Andrew Cross’ elder sister Jenna Spooner has said that more information his loved ones are given about his health ‘the bleaker the picture’, as they continue to pray for his 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, on a Caring Bridge page which has been set up to update Cross’ friends and fans on his condition, Spooner has also revealed that Cross has been in the ICU for almost the maximum amount of time allowed, so the family will soon have to make a decision about what to do next.

Writing on the page yesterday (Friday February 28), she said: “We’re approaching the maximum allowed length of care in the ICU, so important decisions have to be made. The two primary options are transfer to comfort care (meaning no more life support) or an LTACH (long term acute care hospital) facility in Denver, which would require surgically adding screws to stabilize his spine, a tracheostomy and PEG (feeding tube) prior to making that trip.

“We’ve been extensively reviewing medical studies and other info, getting second (and third and fourth) opinions, consulting with Andrew’s doctors, and doing all we can to consider every possibility.”

Speaking further about her brother’s condition, she added: “The statistics about Andrew’s likelihood to have a moderate recovery, or even regain consciousness, are discouraging. And it seems like the more info we get, the bleaker the picture.”

She went on to say that the family are finding comfort in their faith. “We know that God’s power isn’t limited by any of those things, so our faith for healing hasn’t wavered. It just means that Andrew’s complete recovery can only come by the power of God!”

Spooner also told fans that doctors had peformed an EEG, a test that detects abnormalities in brain waves or in the electrical activity of the brain, on Thursday (February 27) and they are waiting for the results of the scan. She went on: “Andrew’s condition has remained stable throughout the week. Unfortunately, his responses to neuro exams haven’t changed, if anything, they’ve become less noticeable.

“He’s also more visibly uncomfortable, grimacing with procedures like brushing his teeth or adjusting his position in bed. Although we know those things are necessary, it hurts the hearts of everyone around him to see Andrew struggle.”

Just less than a week after his accident, doctors discovered the influencer had suffered a series of strokes. Then, at the beginning of February, 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’. But, by the end of the week his wife Evelyn shared that her husband has taken a ‘positive step in the right direction’ with his recovery. Things took a turn, however, at the beginning of this week when Spooner revealed that the star was being treated for pneumonia.

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 Saturday March 1, more than $448,000 (around £356,000) has been raised.