What happened to Dakota Briley? GoFundMe raises over $300,000 as surfing legend Shawn Briley asks for prayers amid son recovery

Dakota Briley, the son of surfing icon Shawn Briley, has been in the hospital for nearly three months following an accident in Hawaii. 

According to a GoFundMe launched to support his family, a car struck the 20-year-old on Saturday, June 14, on the side of Kamehameha Highway on the North Shore of O‘ahu. The fundraiser organizers revealed: 

“Dakota was pinned between two vehicles and has sustained serious and extensive injuries to his body.” 

KITV 4 Island News reported that Dakota’s lower body, spine, and skull were impacted in the accident. He suffered from traumatic brain injuries and a ruptured lung. According to KITV 4 Island News, he also endured multiple fractures in the back of his skull, ribs, and legs. His father, Shawn, told the Honolulu-based outlet: 

“It was just traumatic the amount of injuries that were done to his body. [...] Basically, everything from his waist down, his cervix, and all his legs, his femurs were compound fractures, and it was basically just crushed.” 

Briley remained in a hospital in Honolulu before his family brought him to a specialized brain & spine rehab facility in Colorado in August, a GoFundMe update confirmed. By the second half of August, Dakota underwent seven surgeries to stop internal bleeding, KITV 4 Island News reported. 

After the unfortunate accident in June, Haunani Sullivan and Erin Lau (Dakota’s sister) organized a Fundraiser for the 20-year-old on behalf of his family. The GoFundMe campaign, with a goal of $500,000, recently exceeded the $300K mark. The community has raised $323,103 to support the Briley Family.

Shawn Briley shares encouraging updates on son Dakota Briley 

According to the recent update from his father, posted by Laurie Yano Kahiapo on Facebook, Dakota had another surgery on his spine/upper neck, which was successful. However, the 20-year-old faced some complications owing to “abdominal/stomach problems.” The Facebook post asserted: 

“He couldn’t eat or have any nutrients/food supplements through his feeding tube in his belly. And he didn’t get any sleep for almost a week to 10 days.”

However, the post hints at things getting better and adds: 

“Thankfully the doctors/team were able to put in a new feeding tube in his stomach 2 days ago!Dakota has slept 10-12 hours the last 2 nights which has been Great!” 

Shawn Briley also shared: 

“A really huge breakthrough for Dakota came 3 days ago when he all of a sudden began moving his left arm & hand very well with almost full range of motion! It was a Huge deal for Dakota after having like 10 days of step backs!!” 

Over the last three months, Dakota has been on the path of recovery and started speaking again in August, per KITV 4 Island News. The outlet shared a clip last month, in which the 20-year-old was heard saying: 

“I love you all so much. It fills me with joy. Don’t forget, God loves you.”

KITV 4 Island News reported that Dakota Briley surprised his family after he started whispering in early August. His father, Shawn, told the outlet: 

“It was just whispering at the beginning, which was incredible for us to be able to, you know, he's able to communicate to us what he was feeling and what he was going through.” 

Shawn Briley shared in August: 

“He's been able in the last week to go from whispering to speaking and utilizing his voice and his vocal cords. So, he's able to speak in short sentences. It's been a really big deal and a big breakthrough in his recovery.”

While Dakota Briley is still recovering, his family is organizing an auction. In a recent video, Dakota addressed the community, acknowledging the support he received from everyone, while also encouraging them to participate in online bidding.