5-year-old injured in Britt Reid crash ‘likely has permanent brain damage,’ family attorney says

The family of the 5-year-old girl who was injured in the crash involving former Kansas City Chiefs outside linebackers coach Britt Reid believes she will likely have permanent brain damage, family attorney Tom Porto said Tuesday.

Porto told ABC's "Good Morning America" that 5-year-old Ariel Young is unable to speak or walk as she recovers from a brain injury suffered in the Feb. 4 crash. Her family had indicated on a GoFundMe page that she previously spent more than a week in a coma.

"She’s awake, which is a huge development," Porto told ABC on Tuesday. "She likely has permanent brain damage that she will endure for the rest of her life. She’s not walking. It’s a sad, sad, sad story."

.@ABC EXCLUSIVE: Lawyer for family of girl injured in pre-Super Bowl crash speaks out: “She likely has permanent brain damage that she will endure for the rest of her life. She’s not walking.” @tjholmes reports. https://t.co/1Q9cFtKE9kpic.twitter.com/h9ALdKn3qG

Young was one of three people — including two children — injured in the crash, which occurred three days before the Chiefs faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55. Reid, the son of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, was driving his pickup truck near the Chiefs' practice facility when it struck a car that had pulled over on the side of the road to bring fuel to another car.

Reid, 35, told officers that he had "two or three drinks" on the evening of the crash and had a prescription for Adderall, and the Kansas City Police Department is investigating whether he was impaired.

Britt Reid was involved in a multiple-vehicle accident on Feb. 4, 2021. (Photo: Mark Brown, Getty Images)

Spokesperson Dave Jackson told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday morning that the investigation is ongoing. No charges have been filed.

Reid was placed on administrative leave by the Chiefs and did not coach in the Super Bowl. His contract has since expired. The NFL said it will review Reid's conduct and "take any appropriate action" after the conclusion of the police investigation.

Porto, the attorney, told "Good Morning America" that the Young family would push for Reid to face significant consequences if the toxicology report reveals he was impaired at the time of the crash.

"We’re going to be advocating for the most serious charges and the most serious sentence that Britt could ever receive," Porto said. "We don’t have the toxicology back, I don’t know what it is going to be. What I do know are the statements that he made to police that night. If you have two or three drinks, and then you get behind the wheel of a car, you are likely over the legal limit."

Contributing: Jori Epstein, The Associated Press

Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.

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