‘Pray for Gray’: Tree fell on golf cart, seriously injured Trussville baseball player Grayson Pope

Oct 04, 2023

A crowd gathered on the mall in Trussville on Wednesday night, June 7, 2023, to pray for injured baseball player Grayson Pope. Tables were set up with photos of Pope in his baseball uniform alongside baseballs inscribed with "Pray for Gray." (Photo by Greg Garrison/AL.com)

A crowd of hundreds gathered in a public park Wednesday night in Trussville to pray for Hewitt-Trussville High School baseball player Grayson Pope, who was seriously injured when a tree fell on his golf cart on Tuesday afternoon during a thunderstorm.

After the vigil, several eyewitnesses described how Pope was injured during the storm that hit about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Trussville Country Club.

"I just remember hearing the crack of a tree," said Brett Moseley, one of the four baseball players who were playing golf at the Country Club when a thunderstorm came over and lightning hit a tree, knocking it down on top of a golf cart driven by Pope. "He was driving and I was in the passenger seat," Moseley said.

Sam Scarborough and Colby Durden said they were following behind in another golf cart on the same cart path, saw what happened and ran to help.

"We started running through the broken trees," Scarborough said.

Pope had a cut on his head and was immediately unconscious, Durden said.

"He was just laying there," said Moseley. "When I grabbed him out of the cart, I was carrying him and I sat him down. Nobody's phone would work because it was so wet, so I used Siri to call 911."

Durden ran to the driving range by the clubhouse for help and grabbed a towel.

"It was super muddy," Moseley said.

Scarborough said an ambulance arrived within two minutes and took Pope to UAB Hospital.

He has been under observation for possible brain swelling at UAB and undergoing tests including magnetic resonance imaging to determine the extent of the injury.

His friends said they are encouraged by what they’ve heard and hopeful for a full recovery.

Musician Ethan Womack played guitar and led the crowd in singing praise songs and praying for Pope's recovery Wednesday night on the mall in Trussville. Tables were set up with photos of Pope in his baseball uniform alongside baseballs inscribed with "Pray for Gray."

After a large group prayer, smaller groups including Hewitt-Trussville High School students prayed out loud for healing for baseball player Grayson Pope, who was injured on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, when a tree fell on a golf cart he was driving at the Trussville Country Club during a sudden thunderstorm. (Photo by Greg Garrison/AL.com)

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