WESTFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - The beloved principal of a Westford elementary school suffered a frightening fall that left him paralyzed.
Kevin Lacoste is recovering in a hospital bed after a freak accident nearly took his life. His mother-in-law, Gail Buccini, said he was climbing a tree over the weekend when he fell from a branch.
Buccini descrived the events saying, “He wasn’t breathing so Alice and his wife did rescue breathing. The kids called 911, ran and got a neighbor, the neighbor came over and did chest compressions.”
The Lacoste family says he is now awaiting surgery.
The two-time Boston Marathon runner can only communicate with his eyes, winking to indicate his needs.
“He still cannot feel anything from the shoulders down. He is still intubated, so they are breathing for him,”
The family says that after the surgery Lacoste will receive a tracheotomy that will allow him to eat and breathe on his own. After that, he will begin rehab.
Lacoste is best known for his fun and engaging antics at school. Parents whose children attend the Colonel John Robinson School remember him for the way he makes their children smile.
“I was volunteering one day and it was crazy hat day or crazy hair day and I was doing a project with the kids and he must have walked through within the span of 40 to 45 minutes with five different hair wigs on and it was just so funny,” parent Marcie Day said. “It really got the kids going.”
The community is now coming together to offer support for the family, bringing food and raising money for the beloved educators.
“This isn’t going to be over next week, you know? It is going to be a long road,” Buccini said.
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