Community Unites for Middle Schooler Recovering from Traumatic Accident
Amanda Rink, Editor
April 9, 2025 – A Clarion-Goldfield-Dows middle school student is making strides in recovery after surviving a traumatic car accident.
On March 29, 13-year-old Tretyn “Tre” Solis, the son of Megann and Danny Solis of Clarion, was returning from the T.A.G Science Fair at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames when a freak accident changed everything. A loose tire struck the school suburban he was riding in, smashing through the windshield and hitting Tre, who was seated in the front passenger seat. He sustained multiple skull and facial fractures, a brain bleed, and required emergency craniotomy surgery that night.
For several days, Tre remained sedated in the ICU. But day by day, the updates from his mom, Meghann, on social media grew more hopeful: walking with physical therapy, eating applesauce, charming nurses with Dragon Ball Z trivia, and slowly regaining strength. “We moved from the ICU to the Peds general floor… now it’s just a matter of letting him heal, manage his pain, and rehabilitation,” Meghann wrote.
Most recently, Tre has been up and moving more, undergoing physical, occupational, and speech therapy daily. “Him having a good day and wanting me to snuggle him this afternoon was the best birthday present I could ever ask for,” Meghann shared on April 9, her birthday.
As Tre continues his road to recovery, the community has rallied in extraordinary ways to support the Solis family of seven. Meghann, well known in Clarion as the owner of a busy in-home daycare, and Danny, the former owner of “Grounded” who had just started a new job, found their world turned upside down when the tragedy struck. Not only does the family have to drive back and forth often to support their other children in Clarion, they have to continue to make ends meet while the expected medical bills pile up.
The most surprising of understandings came from Tre’s friends, who rallied on April 9 at Clarion’s Pizza Ranch to buss tables for tips, sell frozen pizza and shirts to raise funds for their friend and his family.
“Within ten minutes of the buffet opening,” shared Solis family friend Courtney Morris, “there was already a line formed at the register.” More support continues to pour in for the family across Wright County. A T-shirt fundraiser led by Morris and sold through Threads & Company in Belmond has taken off. All proceeds go directly to the Solis family.
A classmate of Tre, Kayleigh Marshall, who owns the bracelet business Little Bit of Sunshine, sold signature green and black bracelets as a fundraiser for the family. She fulfilled orders the night of the Pizza Ranch Fundraiser. Meghann shared after the event at Pizza Ranch her thanks sharing, “We appreciate it more than you’ll ever know!”
The campaigns are much more about solidarity as a community that cares for its children than it is about financial support.
“The Solis family has the biggest hearts of anyone I know,” Morris shared. “They have been there for me and my kids countless times… This is just one small way to show them how much they mean to all of us.”
In a moment of profound crisis, what could have been just another news story has become a testament to the spirit of our tight-knit community. And for Tre, whose journey has really just started, that spirit may be one of the most powerful medicines of all.
The Solis family asks community members to “please keep the prayers coming for our little warrior.” If you missed the most recent Pizza Ranch fundraiser, the kids are hosting another one on April 23 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
