AUSTIN, Texas — Tanner LaMagna of Newark traveled to Austin this week with his family to attend the Formula 1 race, a dream come true after a life-changing accident last year.
LaMagna broke his neck in a BMX bike crash in July 2025, which made him a candidate for the Dream On 3 trip, but his determination helped him get there. “Yeah, super excited,” LaMagna said about the trip.
His family joined him in Texas for the event, and they shared a photo from the F1 race track. “Tanner is a huge car fan and this is his dream to see all these fast cars this weekend,” Tara LaMagna, his mother, said.
The crash
Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean of News10NBC reported that David LaMagna, Tanner’s father, was near the track when the accident happened. “And we ran right out and I was holding his hand and I told him ‘Don’t move. Whatever you do, don’t move.’ But then I was holding his hand in the hospital, and I said ‘move,’” David LaMagna said.
A hospital video after the crash showed Tanner move his hand and forearm.
“Good boy,” his father said in the video.
“It’s still something that I don’t think I’ll ever get used to, but I’ve come to the realization that that’s okay,” David LaMagna said.
The dream trip
Dream On 3, the organization that sponsored the trip, helps children with life-altering conditions experience special sports moments. “So I think one of the things that anyone can takeaway from Tanner’s story is just resilience,” Becca Greer of Dream On 3 said.
“He is full of laughter, he’s full of gratitude, he’s full of happiness,” Greer said.
LaMagna reflected on his journey. “I think pushing through this injury is something I never thought I could do,” LaMagna said.
Follow Tanner on Facebook at Team Tanner.
The Formula 1 race is Sunday.
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