Cody Brand, a 21-year-old U.S. Marine, passed away while visiting Asheville for a romantic getaway with his girlfriend, according to local ABC affiliate WLOS.
Brand was riding a skateboard in the North Carolina city on Feb. 13 when he suffered a fall, the outlet reported. His girlfriend immediately called his mother, Gayle Brand, to inform her of the accident.
Gayle Brand said the girlfriend “explained that [Cody] was skateboarding down a hill and he lost control of his board and hit his head and that he was unconscious and unresponsive,” WLOS reported.
The paramedics managed to restore the pulse of the young Marine and transport him to Mission Hospital, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Retired Marine Found Dead In Death Valley)
HEARTBKREAKING 💔 What was supposed to be a Valentine’s Day getaway for a U.S. Marine and his girlfriend turned into shock, sorrow and devastation when 21-year-old Cody Brand died from a skateboarding accident.https://t.co/z4xCSYApW6
— ABC 13 News – WSET (@ABC13News) February 22, 2023
Gayle and her family immediately started driving to Asheville from their home in Palm Beach, Florida, but doctors called her during the drive and delivered the news that Cody’s brain injury was not survivable, WLOS reported.
Cody’s mother managed to reach the hospital in time to see her son before he passed away at 11:17 p.m. on Valentine’s Day, according to WLOS. She said Cody “was an organ donor, I’m an organ donor, I believe dad is, as well, so that was important to us. He was a healthy 21-year-old Marine.”
Gayle said that her son enjoyed variety of outdoor activities, including spearfishing and skateboarding, and joined the U.S. Marine Corps due to a desire to challenge himself, the outlet noted.