CLARKSVILLE, TN (WKRN) — Jamie Horton’s 12-year-old son, Hayden, has been in Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital for almost three weeks now after an older student on the school bus put him in a chokehold, causing the need for emergency surgery that has left the boy unable to walk, talk or eat solid foods.

According to Clarksville Now’s new partner, WKRN, Horton is questioning why two adults on that Clarksville-Montgomery County School System bus allegedly watched her child being choked but took no action or even reported it.

“It was a nightmare, like, you wait to wake up,” she said. “He’s a happy kid. He plays video games, he makes jokes, he loves his sister, he loves his grandparents, he loves his stepdad who’s his best friend.”

The bus ride

On Oct. 11. Hayden, a Kenwood Middle School student, was on a bus that was picking up high schoolers on the ride home. Then, according to Horton, a 16-year-old student put her son in a chokehold for some reason.

The student had Hayden in a headlock for a while, and Hayden didn’t fight back. Horton says her 15-year-old daughter witnessed what was happening before rushing onto the bus to help her little brother.

The mother said that the school bus driver and a school bus aide both witnessed the chokehold: “There were adults present and they didn’t do anything.”

The incident was captured on camera, but as of WKRN’s report on Nov. 8, Jamie has yet to see it. However, investigators who have watched it reportedly told her one of the adults on the bus said, “Tap out, man,” a wrestling phrase that means submit to your opponent.

Emergency brain surgery

In the nine days following the incident, Horton said Hayden got sicker and sicker at home, experiencing headaches and mobility issues.

Then, on Oct. 20, the 12-year-old was brought to Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The doctors told Jamie that Hayden had been experiencing blood clots that caused multiple strokes, which ultimately led to emergency brain surgery.

“We found out that he had been having strokes, and that he had had a massive stroke based on a tear in his neck,” she said.

According to Horton, her son’s decline began with the chokehold on the school bus.

Road to recovery

Even though Hayden is out of the ICU, his mother said he is still working on physical, occupational, and speech therapy every day to help him regain speech and mobility. When her son is released from the hospital, Horton said he will more than likely have to leave the state for special rehab.

CMCSS spokesman, Anthony Johnson confirmed that there is an ongoing investigation into the incident on the bus, saying, “CMCS, law enforcement, and DCS are investigating a situation involving a high school student placing a middle school student in a chokehold on a bus.”

“CMCSS fully cooperates in law enforcement and DCS investigations,” Johnson told Clarksville Now. “Since this is an active investigation, I cannot provide any additional details at this time.”

Meanwhile, Horton said the teachers and staff at Kenwood Middle School have been very caring and sympathetic, even reaching out to the family about Hayden.

“You’re hired to take care of kids. It’s your responsibility to keep them safe. You send your kids to school every day and expect them to come home in the way that you left them,” the mother replied.

The Horton family has started a GoFundMe to help offset the astronomical expenses accruing from Hayden’s treatment. If you would like to make a donation, follow this link.

From Clarksville Now news partner WKRN, Channel 2-Nashville.