Son of Schwarzenegger, Shriver Injured in Surfing Accident

The 13-year-old son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver is recovering at an LA-area hospital after suffering injuries while surfing.

Sources close to the family said that Christopher was in a surfing accident while boogie boarding on the beach on Sunday. He suffered a collapsed lung, broken bones and broken ribs. Christopher was in the ICU in serious condition.

Schwarzenegger and Shriver released a statement Friday saying, "A few days ago our son Christopher suffered an accident at the beach. While it has been a very scary week, Christopher is surrounded by his family and friends. He is a brave boy and is expected to make a full recovery. On behalf of our entire family, we want to sincerely thank the paramedics and lifeguards who responded so swiftly as well as the doctors, nurses, emergency room and hospital staff who have cared for our son. They have been extraordinary to him and to us. We thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers and ask for respect and privacy for Christopher and our family."

In the 911 call released by the Fire Department, Shriver says she was afraid her son had a broken rib.

"He's awake and breathing, he just can't move. He's having trouble breathing," she said.

The Schwarzengger children also tweeted their thanks for everyone's support.

"Thank you everyone for your messages about my brother," Christopher's older brother, Patrick, tweeted Friday. "This kid is strongest kid I ever seen. Keep praying."

Their sister Katherine added a Twitter message of her own: "Thank you guys for ur concern and prayers for my baby brother! He's a tough little guy and getting better! Please keep praying for him!"

Two days after the accident, Arnold Schwarzenegger was spotted at The Grove with son Patrick. Witnesses say he seemed upbeat and even posed for photos.

According to TMZ and People magazine, Christopher's mother has been at his side constantly and is also sleeping at the hospital.  His father has been a regular visitor as well.

Boogie boarders at the beach in Malibu say the waves were huge last week, but experts like Tom Corliss with Malibu Mako Surf Camp, says the injury sounds unusual for what they'd normally see for a boogie boarding injury.

"Mostly I would say neck, shoulder or collar bone, those are more of the injuries you would receive by body boarding or surfing, not a punctured lung. I mean that's kind of odd for sure. I've been doing this for 20 years and never had any kind of rib injuries by body boarding," Corliss said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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