12-Year-Old Boy Nearly Died After Being Hit by a Truck Trying to Save His Dog — Now He's a Paintball Champion

Mar. 15, 2025

Grayson Manning, competitive paintball player who nearly died trying to save his dog.Photo:Mindy McConnell

Mindy McConnell

Manning was unloading his gear with his mother around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 16 when his six-month old Great Dane puppy, Muffin, ran into the road at their Slidell, La., home. The boy quickly jumped into action, running into the road, when a black RAM truck struck him.

His mother, Mindy McConnell, a principal at an alternative middle school in New Orleans, says she thought her son had “died on impact” when he was hit. “It looked like he was dead,” she tells PEOPLE.

McConnell remembers strangers stopping in the road to pray for the boy before he was rushed toChildren’s Hospital New Orleansafter a police officer assured the frantic mother that her son was still alive.

“I was convinced he wasn’t going to make it,” she remembers. “I saw what happened and I didn’t think anybody could survive that.”

At the hospital, surgeons inserted a shunt to control swelling in Manning’s brain and tended to his many injuries. His lungs collapsed, his jaw shattered, his eye was trapped, his pelvis was fractured in two places, his collar bone was fractured, and he needed a feeding tube.

The boy was in a coma for nine days.

Doctors were also concerned that Manning had suffered a spinal cord injury when his head flew black, snapping his neck, during the impact. There was also worry that the boy would never walk or talk again, his mom tells PEOPLE.

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Churches from across the country put Manning on prayer lists, and sent blankets and cards. He had visitors in the hospital every day, including his paintball coach, Matt Hodges, who visited him often, and his mother read him the thousands of messages people posted on Facebook.

“I do think it makes a difference in healing, just constantly hearing people are rooting for you and people care,” his mom says. “I think the power of community and prayer saved him. I’m not even a religious person, but there’s just no other explanation.”

Grayson Manning in the hospital.Mindy McConnell

And on July 9, McConnell says she told her son, “I love you,” and he replied with his first word since the accident — “Love.”

Two days later, Manning was talking nonstop. “It was amazing,” his mom says.

Determined to play paintball again, Manning kept asking his doctors when he could start walking. They told the boy he couldn’t even try until his hip healed, but on June 30, he was able to stand up from his wheelchair with assistance.

Manning was discharged from the hospital on August 30 and two days later, he returned to the paintball field and was able to fire his paintball gun.

“Grayson has a very aggressive, I-want-to-win-no-matter-what mindset – he’s a very good player. He’s not afraid,” Hodges, 39, says. “A lot of his kids his age are timid on the field – Grayson isn’t timid at all.”

Grayson Manning with the Paintball world cup.Mindy McConnell

Determined to play in the paintballworld cup in Orlando in Novemberover Veteran’s Day weekend, Manning “wasn’t accepting no as an answer” when his mom told him he wouldn’t be able to compete until the new year. “He was like, ‘No, I’m playing,’ " she recalls.

“It’s really fun,” the boy tells PEOPLE of playing paintball.

On Sunday, Nov. 10, thecompetitive paintballteam he’s played with for three years won the championship.

“It was like something from a movie,” his mother says. “He moved his body in ways he hadn’t yet since the accident. He was diving, sliding, running. He hadn’t done that.”

Grayson Manning at the World Cup Youth Finals Paintball Championship.Mindy McConnell

“It’s just unbelievable,” says Hodges of Manning’s resilience and determination. “I knew deep down he was going to come back, somehow, some way – and I’m extremely proud of him and impressed with his drive.”

While the sixth-grader isn’t back in full-time classes yet — he still doesn’t have his short-term memory — Manning’s now 1-year-old Great Dane is training to be a service dog, learning how to press against the boy when his anxiety attacks.

Grayson Manning and his dog Muffin.Mindy McConnell

He goes to school half-days for one-on-one tutoring, and in the afternoon, he has speech to work on his memory as well as occupation and physical therapy. He sometimes complains about hip pain. “I just give it some time and then it goes away,” he tells PEOPLE.

Even though the season is over, Manning and his team are still practicing, his coach says, noting that he worked with him as recently as last weekend.

“He’s going to continue to get better – I’ve told him many times that paintball is the best physical therapy that he can possibly get – because it’s exactly what the kid wants to do and he gives all when he’s out there playing,” Hodges says. “It’s been really, really impressive to see what he’s done. And I think he’s still going to improve and continue to shock us all.”

As the family continues healing, his mother says, “I know he’s going to continue to get stronger. I’m thankful for life. I have so much to be thankful for.”

source: people.com