Local man recovers from violent attack
A local man is continuing to fight to recover after suffering major brain trauma and being in a coma one year ago.
The Rancho Mirage family says their lives were changed when a group of teens nearly took Trey O’Connor’s life. His dad, Richard O’Connor, remembers the day he was told that his 18-year-old son, Trey, would only have a five percent chance of surviving.
“We got the phone call from one of the kids who was there and you couldn’t understand what he was saying. He was hysterical, crying, screaming, and they said they thought he (Trey) had been hit by a car and I asked, ‘how fast was it going?’ They said about 50 miles per hour and I was like, ‘Is he alive?’ and they couldn’t tell me. there was a lot of blood. It was terrible. He was foaming from the mouth. They thought he was dead…They thought he was dead,” O’Connor said.
On August 14, 2016, Trey fell victim to a violent attack outside of a house party in Palm Desert. A group of party goers threw a rock from their moving car directed at another group of people. That large rock struck Trey in the head.
He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. He underwent hours of brain surgery, days in an induced coma, and months of ongoing therapy.
“It was about two weeks into it when he squeezed my hand, and I knew it would be ok,” O’Connor said.
Trey was getting ready to move out for college the week of the attack, but his plans were put on hold. Now Trey is going to school part time at College of the Desert and working towards a full recovery.
“He wants that more than anything. He doesn’t like to talk about it. He doesn’t use it as an excuse or a cop out, or ‘poor me’. He’s back at the gym and he’s trying to do all the things that you would at 19, preparing for your life,” O’Connor said.
While Trey has made great strides, O’Connor says there’s still a long road ahead.
“I’m changed from the inside out. The things I hold valuable in life have completely changed. And my faith in God is without question. I know he was there in that room and gave me my son back,” O’Connor said.
Four men in connection with the attack are expected to appear in court for a pre-trial on August 31.
