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RTL Backs Fundraiser After Eric Osterlund's Spinal Injury in South Africa

A public appeal seeks €500,000 as insurance limits leave large gaps in his care.

Overview

  • The TV coach, who fell from a horse in South Africa on April 6, fractured his C5 vertebra and sustained an incomplete spinal cord injury.
  • Surgeons in Cape Town removed two vertebrae and stabilized his neck with bone grafts and metal plates, and he remains in intensive care with early rehab underway.
  • Eric says he can partly move his arms and neck, and he described “11 out of 10” pain in an ICU video while planning short Instagram Live Q&As for supporters.
  • RTL shared the GoFundMe link and said RTL Studios and RTL+ will support him as donations passed €30,000 toward a €500,000 goal due to a reported $250,000 insurance cap.
  • An incomplete spinal cord injury means the cord was not fully severed, which can allow some recovery but often requires long, costly treatment and possible medical evacuation.