Roald Dahl’s son who suffered a serious brain injury as a baby was Theo Dahl.
In 1960, when Theo was four months old, a taxi struck his baby carriage in New York. The accident caused severe injuries, including hydrocephalus, a condition involving excess fluid in the brain. Theo required medical treatment and surgery, and the experience had a lasting effect on Dahl and his family.
Dahl became closely involved in efforts to improve the valve used to treat hydrocephalus. Working with neurosurgeon Kenneth Till and toy-maker Stanley Wade, he helped develop the Wade-Dahl-Till valve. It was designed to be less likely to clog than existing devices and was used in medical treatment during the 1960s.
The accident is sometimes confused with other tragedies in Dahl’s family history, including the death of his daughter Olivia from measles encephalitis. Theo survived the accident and later lived outside the public spotlight.