Do for Donnie
Donation protected
Cincinatti, OH—
I want to start this writing by thanking all of you that have called, texted, messaged, and sent your thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes. The reason for creating this GoFundMe is because we continue to get bombarded with requests to help, for which we are so very grateful. Dad has spoken to a few of you, but rest assured, we’ve communicated all of your messages and love.
For those of you that don’t know, I’m going to attempt to explain to you what has transpired over the last 28 hours or so.
The Call
Yesterday, around 5 pm, my Mom received a call from my Dad. He was coming through Walton, KY and had stopped for fuel. He was calm, but she could tell something wasn’t right. He told her he loved her, but that there had been an accident.
He has been experiencing an issue with the transmission of his truck (I’m not mechanically inclined enough to explain it) that’s fixable by crawling just underneath the driver side door and manipulating a part that slips out of place. He’s done this dozens of times before (his particular model of truck is known to have this issue).
As he’s done so many times before, he put the truck in park and climbed down on the ground, in the rain, and moved the pin that slipped out of place. However, for some reason, instead of going into park, his truck jumped into reverse. He was laying directly in the path of the driver side tire, and was unable to move out of the way quickly enough. The front tire rolled on top his left shoulder and back, pinning him under approximately 11,000 pounds of GMC Sierra.
Due to the nature of a truck stop (loud, idling diesel engines), no one was able to hear him yelling for help. He was pinned for about 10 minutes, before a passerby happened to see his feet. This gentleman managed to physically push the truck far enough forward so that Dad could free himself from under the tire. This Good Samaritan called 911, and dialed my Mom so that my Dad could briefly speak to her. At this point, Dad wasn’t sure how badly he was hurt, but he was having difficulty breathing and was unable to move or feel his left arm. The ambulance arrived shortly thereafter and transported him to University of Cincinatti Hospital and their fantastic trauma unit.
Almost immediately, Mom called me, hysterical, and tried to tell me what was going on. The only thing we could decipher is that there was an accident and he was in Walton, KY. I began calling the local truck stops and police departments trying to get an update, gathering bits of information along the way. For instance, Dad’s dog, Sky, was in the truck while this was happening. Animal Control was called and took her in.
In less than an hour, we were on the road to Cincinnati with very little information. During our overnight drive, we finally began to get some updates on his condition.
The Damage
After several hours of testing and imaging, the results were, frankly, astonishing. Broken clavicle, nine separate rib fractures on the left side, seven separate rib fractures on the right side. Miraculously, his left arm was not broken, but there is extensive nerve damage associated with the broken clavicle on that side.
Dad has been in the STICU since he moved out of the ER, and goes in for surgery tomorrow morning (12/23) to place a plate over the worst rib fractures on the left side. The hope is that the traumatic nerve damage to his left arm improves with time (there has already been some improvement, so we’re hopeful), as there’s not really a surgical option to help with that.
What Lies Ahead
As you can imagine, Mom and Dad have a long road ahead. We have faith that Dad will be recovering from home soon. When something like this happens, particularly four days before Christmas, you’re never prepared. However, we are so grateful for our family and friends that have supported us from afar the past few days.
The unfortunate reality about the near future is that Dad has a long road ahead of him. Assuming that there are no complications from this point forward, there will be months of appointments, rehabilitation, and physical therapy. If you’re even remotely familiar with my Dad’s medical history, you know that some of this is old hat for him. He has a real knack for finding himself in the most uncanny of situations, and he’s managed to do it once again.
If there’s one thing I know about my Dad, it’s that he is and has always been the first person to help anyone that needs it. Without so much as a question, he’ll drop what he’s doing to help a friend or stranger (as if he’s ever met a stranger). He’s spent 62 years of his life finding ways to help. Whether that took the form of coaching youth sports, serving in various governmental roles, or volunteering for nonprofits, he’s set an incredible example for me, my sister, and his grandkids.
I also know that my Dad would never ask anyone for help with anything. He prides himself on his ability to provide. This is probably the thing that he is the most proud of in his life. So, as you can imagine, he wouldn’t dare tell you about the medical bills, travel expense, vehicle repairs, and costs associated with keeping he and my Mom here, eight hours away from home. And he wouldn’t dare tell you about the loss of income that he’s going to experience for the foreseeable future, as he focuses on his recovery.
I never cease to be amazed by how many people that my Dad seems to know, everywhere we go. And, in times like these, I’m impressed by the outpouring of love from those same friends. We appreciate and feel all of your love, from all over. It means more than you know.
Oh—about Sky (because Dad would be mad if I didn’t provide an update on his girl), we were able to pick her up from the awesome folks at the Boone County Animal Control facility today. She seems to be hanging in there.
I want to start this writing by thanking all of you that have called, texted, messaged, and sent your thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes. The reason for creating this GoFundMe is because we continue to get bombarded with requests to help, for which we are so very grateful. Dad has spoken to a few of you, but rest assured, we’ve communicated all of your messages and love.
For those of you that don’t know, I’m going to attempt to explain to you what has transpired over the last 28 hours or so.
The Call
Yesterday, around 5 pm, my Mom received a call from my Dad. He was coming through Walton, KY and had stopped for fuel. He was calm, but she could tell something wasn’t right. He told her he loved her, but that there had been an accident.
He has been experiencing an issue with the transmission of his truck (I’m not mechanically inclined enough to explain it) that’s fixable by crawling just underneath the driver side door and manipulating a part that slips out of place. He’s done this dozens of times before (his particular model of truck is known to have this issue).
As he’s done so many times before, he put the truck in park and climbed down on the ground, in the rain, and moved the pin that slipped out of place. However, for some reason, instead of going into park, his truck jumped into reverse. He was laying directly in the path of the driver side tire, and was unable to move out of the way quickly enough. The front tire rolled on top his left shoulder and back, pinning him under approximately 11,000 pounds of GMC Sierra.
Due to the nature of a truck stop (loud, idling diesel engines), no one was able to hear him yelling for help. He was pinned for about 10 minutes, before a passerby happened to see his feet. This gentleman managed to physically push the truck far enough forward so that Dad could free himself from under the tire. This Good Samaritan called 911, and dialed my Mom so that my Dad could briefly speak to her. At this point, Dad wasn’t sure how badly he was hurt, but he was having difficulty breathing and was unable to move or feel his left arm. The ambulance arrived shortly thereafter and transported him to University of Cincinatti Hospital and their fantastic trauma unit.
Almost immediately, Mom called me, hysterical, and tried to tell me what was going on. The only thing we could decipher is that there was an accident and he was in Walton, KY. I began calling the local truck stops and police departments trying to get an update, gathering bits of information along the way. For instance, Dad’s dog, Sky, was in the truck while this was happening. Animal Control was called and took her in.
In less than an hour, we were on the road to Cincinnati with very little information. During our overnight drive, we finally began to get some updates on his condition.
The Damage
After several hours of testing and imaging, the results were, frankly, astonishing. Broken clavicle, nine separate rib fractures on the left side, seven separate rib fractures on the right side. Miraculously, his left arm was not broken, but there is extensive nerve damage associated with the broken clavicle on that side.
Dad has been in the STICU since he moved out of the ER, and goes in for surgery tomorrow morning (12/23) to place a plate over the worst rib fractures on the left side. The hope is that the traumatic nerve damage to his left arm improves with time (there has already been some improvement, so we’re hopeful), as there’s not really a surgical option to help with that.
What Lies Ahead
As you can imagine, Mom and Dad have a long road ahead. We have faith that Dad will be recovering from home soon. When something like this happens, particularly four days before Christmas, you’re never prepared. However, we are so grateful for our family and friends that have supported us from afar the past few days.
The unfortunate reality about the near future is that Dad has a long road ahead of him. Assuming that there are no complications from this point forward, there will be months of appointments, rehabilitation, and physical therapy. If you’re even remotely familiar with my Dad’s medical history, you know that some of this is old hat for him. He has a real knack for finding himself in the most uncanny of situations, and he’s managed to do it once again.
If there’s one thing I know about my Dad, it’s that he is and has always been the first person to help anyone that needs it. Without so much as a question, he’ll drop what he’s doing to help a friend or stranger (as if he’s ever met a stranger). He’s spent 62 years of his life finding ways to help. Whether that took the form of coaching youth sports, serving in various governmental roles, or volunteering for nonprofits, he’s set an incredible example for me, my sister, and his grandkids.
I also know that my Dad would never ask anyone for help with anything. He prides himself on his ability to provide. This is probably the thing that he is the most proud of in his life. So, as you can imagine, he wouldn’t dare tell you about the medical bills, travel expense, vehicle repairs, and costs associated with keeping he and my Mom here, eight hours away from home. And he wouldn’t dare tell you about the loss of income that he’s going to experience for the foreseeable future, as he focuses on his recovery.
I never cease to be amazed by how many people that my Dad seems to know, everywhere we go. And, in times like these, I’m impressed by the outpouring of love from those same friends. We appreciate and feel all of your love, from all over. It means more than you know.
Oh—about Sky (because Dad would be mad if I didn’t provide an update on his girl), we were able to pick her up from the awesome folks at the Boone County Animal Control facility today. She seems to be hanging in there.
Organizer
Matt Burris
Organizer
Clover, SC