The Rupp Family

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A pickup truck packed with teenagers crashed, overturned, and landed in a creek — leaving 16-year-old Seven Rupp fighting for his life.

The Carroll County community is now rallying around Seven and his family after the devastating crash sent him to Shock Trauma with catastrophic injuries, as loved ones pray and wait through the hardest days of their lives.

The crash happened shortly after 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2, in Westminster, when first responders were called to Jasontown Road near John Hyde Road, according to the sheriff's office.

Investigators said a Ford F-250 carrying five teenage boys was traveling eastbound when the driver failed to negotiate a turn. 

The truck left the roadway, went down an embankment, overturned, and came to rest on its roof — partially in Little Pipe Creek.

Seven Rupp, a 16-year-old football player at Francis Scott Key High School in Union Bridge, was seated in the back seat, his grandfather Daniel Malone later shared.

“He was in the back seat of the truck as it rolled down an embankment,” Malone wrote. “He is in Shock Trauma, holding his own.”

The driver and three rear-seat passengers were flown or transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. 

A front-seat passenger, also 16, was taken to Carroll Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

In the days that followed, Seven’s family revealed the full scope of his injuries.

According to a GoFundMe page created for the family, Rupp suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and has undergone multiple brain surgeries, including procedures where both sides of his skull were removed to relieve pressure and save his life.

He remains on a ventilator and deeply sedated as his body works to heal.

“Despite everything he’s been through, Seven is stable, and the medical team says this is the best possible news they could hope for at this stage,” the fundraiser states.

On Thursday, Dec. 11, the family shared an update, saying doctors are giving Seven several days of full rest after the intense surgeries so his body can focus entirely on healing.

“He remains stable, and that’s what matters most,” the family wrote.

As Rupp fights forward, the family is also facing an overwhelming emotional and financial road.

The GoFundMe explains that Rupp and his sister Ava lost their mother to cancer when they were young, leaving their father Luke as their only parent. 

Organizers hope that funds raised will help cover hospital travel, parking, meals, time away from work, and other immediate needs while they stay by their son's side.

Anyone who knows Rupp knows exactly why the community has shown up.

“Anyone lucky enough to know him knows how amazing he is — always smiling, always making jokes, always lighting up the room,” the fundraiser reads.

Support has poured in from classmates, neighbors, teammates, and strangers alike.

“Through this difficult time, I have come to realize many things, especially how greatly Seven has touched the lives of others and the army he now has,” his sister Ava Rose wrote. 

“As Seven’s sister, I am thankful for the love, prayers, and support from everyone; please keep praying and STAND WITH SEVEN!!”

The Rupp Family

The Rupp Family

GoFundMe

For the family, the messages, prayers, and generosity have become a lifeline.

“Knowing that so many people are standing with Seven, lifting him up, and showing up for them in this moment…it means everything,” the family shared. “They’re overwhelmed in the best way — grateful, emotional, and humbled by the kindness of complete strangers and this amazing community.”

More than $27,000 has been raised in just two days as support continues to pour in.

"If you’re able to give, any amount helps more than you know," organizers wrote. "And if you can’t donate, please share this page and keep Seven and his family in your prayers." 

And as Seven continues to fight, that message has become both a plea and a promise:

“Please keep sharing, and thank you for STANDING WITH SEVEN!”