Family, friends, and members of various branches of the armed forces gathered at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval Park Friday morning to pray for Tech. Sgt. William Sager, Jr.’s recovery. Sager, a 28-year old Air National Guardsman, was assaulted and suffered a severe brain injury at Molly’s Pub in Buffalo on May 11. He remains in critical condition at Erie County Medical Center.
Sager’s fiancée and father thanked the community for its outpouring of support. An emotional Bill Sager, Sr. said they’re taking things day by day and praying for a miracle.
"Bill is a very, very dedicated person to his community and his country. He excels at everything he did from the time he was a child to a teenager growing up," Sager, Sr. said.
Sager deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. He also took part in relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy.
Sager’s fiancée Erika Webster thanked the community, the doctors and nurses at ECMC, and staff at the Niagara Falls Air Base for their support.
"Whatever it was he chose to do, he did it the absolute best he could. He put 100 percent into everything he's ever decided to do. That's just the type of man that he is. He's the type of person who would have done anything for anybody, if he could," Webster said.
Sager remains in a coma at ECMC. A charitable trust was created in his name to cover Sager’s medical and business expenses. Donations can be made at all local M&T bank locations.
The family did not address questions regarding the pending criminal investigation or potential charges related to the case. The man accused of assaulting Sager, bar manager Jeffrey Basil, will be in Buffalo City Court for a felony hearing Friday afternoon.
