WVU Medicine Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center to host 14th Annual Trauma Night of Recognition
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on September 04, 2025
Three remarkable trauma patients and the representatives who participated in different stages of their care will be honored at the WVU Medicine Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center Annual Night of Recognition (NOR). The event, which highlights the hard work and dedication of those who care for patients with traumatic injuries, will be held on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Morgantown Event Center at Waterfront Place.
The three patients’ stories will be showcased as those who participated in the various stages of their care receive a Cornerstone of Recovery Award.
What began as a summer afternoon of fun for Carter and his family turned into a fight for his life after a go-kart accident left him with devastating injuries.
On the 4th?of July in 2024, Carter lost control of his go-kart and crashed into a fence, the impact impaling his chest on a wooden post. He was rushed to WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals?in Charleston with a large open chest wound, multiple rib fractures, and serious lung injuries. Emergency staff quickly intubated him and took him to the operating room for life-saving surgery, which included repairing his chest injuries and completing a finger amputation.
Following the initial procedures, Carter was transferred to WVU Medicine Children’s?in Morgantown for specialized pediatric critical care. There, a team of pediatric and cardiac surgeons performed a thoracotomy and rib fixation. Within 24 hours, he was successfully weaned off the ventilator. Over the next week, Carter steadily improved. His chest tube was removed on the sixth day, and he was discharged home – back to his bed, his family, and his beloved dogs.
Nia Casey, Carter’s mom, said Carter’s recovery is nothing short of a miracle made possible by the teamwork of first responders, Thomas Hospitals’ care team, and the specialists at Children’s.
Carter says he is simply grateful.
“Thank you for saving my life,” Carter said when reflecting on his journey. “You fixed me when I was broken and really scared. You made me feel safe when everything hurt and my mom was crying. Because of you, I got to go home, sleep in my bed, hug my family, and play with my dogs again. That’s the best thing ever. You’re my heroes. Like, real-life ones – not the movie kind. You’re the kind that makes kids like me get to grow up.”
Carter also shared a promise, in his own lighthearted way, “Next time I promise to wear bubble wrap before riding a go-kart… maybe.”
Carter’s journey is just one of the powerful stories of survival and gratitude being shared at this year’s Night of Recognition. He will be honored alongside adult honorees, Judith Fisher of Fairmont, who overcame devastating injuries from a car crash; and Craig Putnam of Elizabeth, who survived a 40-foot fall from a bucket truck while trimming trees. Together, these honorees – and their families – will have the chance to reunite with the first responders and medical teams whose skill and dedication helped save their lives.
“It is people like Carter, Craig, and Judy that inspire us to come to work every day,” Alison Wilson, M.D., executive chair of the WVU Critical Care and Trauma Institute, said. ?“Their desire to recover and their positive attitudes really encourage the nurses, respiratory therapists, medical teams – all of us – to embrace our jobs. The Night of Recognition is an opportunity for those who have worked with the patients?to meet them again after they have recovered and to be recognized for their dedication.”
For Carter, recognizing the people who saved him means everything.
“It’s super important! They didn’t just help me – they saved my life,” he said. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here to ride dirt bikes, go fishing, or even tell this story.”
“When something scary like that happens, you realize the firemen, doctors, nurses, EMTs, and everyone in the ER are like a big team that comes together to make sure kids like me get to go home. They deserve all the awards, thank-you’s, and high-fives in the world.”
Carter says he is looking forward to doing just that at this year’s Night of Recognition – high-fives all around.
The evening will begin with registration at 5:30 p.m., followed by a reception at 6 p.m. The program, including the presentation of awards, will begin at 7 p.m.
For more information, to purchase tickets, or to sponsor the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center Night of Recognition, visit HSC.WVU.edu/Night-of-Recognition.
The Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center, located at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, was created in the 1980s with the assistance and support of the late U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd. It is named for Byrd’s grandson, who died as a result of an automobile crash. Each year, the Trauma Center treats more than 5,000 patients from all over West Virginia, as well as those from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
Editor’s Note: Nia Casey and her son, Carter Casey. Carter's is one of the three patient stories that will be showcased at the 14th Annual Trauma Night of Recognition. Photo courtesy of WVU Medicine.
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