EMMETT, Idaho — Bailey Erickson is an 11-year-old from Emmett. She was at her grandparent’s house playing outside with her little brother and climbing on rocks, when a boulder suddenly moved, falling on Bailey and crushing her leg.
To show support for Bailey, the community packed Ironwood Bar & Grill to raise money through a benefit concert on Saturday.
Bailey was also there, along with her family. She was able to walk around and talk with others, and even got on stage to address the crowd.
“It’s fun, and sometimes nervous,” Bailey said.
Bailey went through six surgeries to reconstruct her leg. Two-and-a-half months after the accident, she’s recovering and doing well.
“I can balance and stuff on it now,” Bailey said.
Looking back, Bailey is especially thankful for her younger brother Liam, who ran to get help when the boulder fell. Bailey was life-flighted to the hospital.
“I'd like to mention that my brother, if he wasn't there, I probably wouldn't be alive,” Bailey said. “And I want to thank my family and friends. And I wish my dad could be here today, but he's working in a different state. And I want to thank God for protecting me.”
One of those friends is Sam Hansen. He’s Bailey’s neighbor, but also organized Saturday’s benefit concert.
“We've got a lot of good people here in the community, and so we decided to put an event on,” Hansen said. “We got Royal Bliss here from Salt Lake City, we've got American Hitmen, we've got a live auction. The proceeds from the show, as well as the auction, we're here to raise money for the family.”
Hansen also launched a GoFundMe page to help pay for Bailey’s medical expenses.
Royal Bliss headlined the concert. They travelled from Salt Lake City to play for Bailey.
“We get to go listen to some good music and try to do some good for the community,” Hansen said.
The event also had a live auction of donated items.
“It's amazing. You look at how many people donated stuff, Treasure Valley Subaru donated a car to auction off, Bob's Bicycle donated a bike…I mean, so many people donate and they don't hesitate, and it's all local and they would just want to help,” Hansen said. “We’re Idaho, and this is what we do. We help our neighbors and it’s a good place.”
While the concert is over, Bailey’s GoFundMe campaign is still active. Donations can be made here.
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