Kenneth and Amy Rees - Road to Recovery Campaign
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Friends,
We have some of the most incredible contractors helping us restore Glen-Isle to its historic splendor and we are so grateful that they each share our passion and love for this task. On the evening of November 24th, one of our contractors, Kenneth Rees, his wife Amy and their young daughter were returning to Bailey, CO from Thanksgiving with family in NM and were involved in a harrowing accident (details from family below) leaving Kenneth and Amy transported to a hospital in Colorado Springs with serious injuries. Kenneth's neck is fractured and Amy suffered injuries to her head, shoulder, and arms. Thankfully the daughter escaped safely. Kenneth will be in a neck brace for up to 12 weeks and unable to work and Amy will be out of work as well for several weeks. We are setting up this GOFUNDME for the family to help them during a long difficult road to recovery in which neither can work for quite some time. All funds will go directly for extensive medical expenses, lost wages, and essential family needs. Any funds over and above the goal or family needs will be directly donated to the volunteer fire department and first responders that arrived and essentially saved Ken's life and cared for Amy. Please read the families harrowing account of the accident below and know than any donation you can offer is deeply appreciated.
Greg and Mary Ruth Vincent - Glen-Isle
Dear family, friends, friends of friends and strangers ... who are just friends you haven't met yet,
On November 24, 2018 our family was traveling from Aztec, NM after having Thanksgiving with our 98-year-old Grandma for the first time in our life. We were headed back to our home in Bailey, CO when we ran in to extreme weather conditions. All along our travels we were constantly checking weather and road conditions to make sure we were safe to travel and saw nothing that should have been a concern to us.
We were a few miles north of Villa Grove when we ran into blowing snow, but nothing was sticking so we pressed on. We traveled about 10 miles when the conditions changed drastically. Snow started accumulating and the crosswinds picked up. I started slowing down and watching my brother and his family behind me. They were driving a Ford F-350 truck and my family and I were in my wife’s Infiniti. The conditions were getting worse by the millisecond and as I reached for the snow control button I could see my brother slowing down more than I did, so I slowed even more. As I watched my brother slowing down, I saw him make a hard left where there was no road to make a left. I knew near immediately that the snow had caused him to lose traction, combined with the strong crosswinds he went into a fishtail and ultimately lost control of his truck. I was able to get stopped and turned around safely so that I could check on them.
As I came to a stop at the scene of the accident my sister-in-law (Amy) and my niece (Kenzie) were coming out of the culvert towards us. Amy was screaming hysterically about my brother (Ken) was trapped and couldn't breathe. It took me a moment to collect my thoughts and process what I was looking at. In my mind it just wasn't clicking that my brothers’ truck was upside down and mangled. As I was running down the embankment towards the truck it clicked, and it clicked hard. My mind started racing and imagining the horrors I was about to see. Amy and Kenzie made it out so just how bad could it be?
As I tried to enter the front passenger window Amy cried out to me telling me that he was on the other side. I was calling for him, but he sounded a million miles away. I couldn't see him through the passenger side at all. I ran around to the driver’s side and that is when my heart sunk. From the ground to the top of the door there was only about 6" - 10" that I could reach in and feel my brother. I realized pretty quickly that there was no way I was getting him out that side. I ran back to the passenger side and belly crawled into the truck. As much as I tried to reach him the collapsed roof was in my way. It was at that point that I knew there was no way I was getting him out on my own. Several other travelers had stopped to try and render aide. I prayed to the Good Lord to either grant me the strength to lift this behemoth of a truck off of my brother or to be there with him. As you can tell from the pictures ... there was divine intervention.
As he fishtailed and crossed lanes and turning 180 degrees his front driver tire caught the soft shoulder. The truck was sent airborne over the deep culvert and rolled in the air. When it finally came to a stop on the far side of the culvert Amy had been partially ejected with damage to her shoulder and wrist, Kenzie however was left virtually unscathed and suffering a minor scratch on her ankle ... Ken however suffered the greatest. He was still sitting fairly upright with his seatbelt still on. His right leg was still extended and left leg bent, his right arm was pinned in the truck and his left arm was pinned with his elbow sticking out. This elbow and a small part of his beard is all that I could see through the little gap that was left of what was once a full truck window. I prayed for that superhuman strength we all hear and read about but with my small frame there was no way I was going to have that kind of muscle. Several bystanders tried to help me but there just wasn't enough of us.
My wife (Stacy) had already called 911 and help was on the way. Due to weather conditions it was going to take some time before anyone could get there. CSP was the first on the scene and they assured us that more help was on the way. I did all that I could to comfort my brother and let him know that we had folks coming. It felt as though time stood still ... the snow and bitter cold were getting worse. I knew that if we couldn't get him out, he was either going to die from exposure or his injuries. After what felt like hours had passed the first fire crew arrived. As they assessed the situation and developed a plan the EMT's arrived. I didn't count but was told that there were about 14 firefighters and 10 paramedics doing everything in their power to rescue Ken. After 30 minutes or so of intense work they were able to free him and get him out of the truck. The EMS Director was on scene and placed his life in direct danger as he slid under the truck to stabilize Ken as much as he could and to help him get out of the wreckage. To my, and everyone else’s, surprise Ken was able to push and pull his way out of the driver’s seat and onto the director’s body. Once he made it out and onto their equipment I leaned over my brother and gave him a kiss and told him how much I love him ... I wasn't sure if that moment was going to be the last chance for him to feel the warmth and love of another person before the Good Lord called him home.
As soon as the other ambulance drivers were sure that Ken was out they transported Amy and Kenzie to a local hospital with Ken not long behind. I gathered as much of their belongings as I could and concentrated on the most important items that would be needed. After we got what we could fit in our little car we left the scene and headed for the hospital. It was an extremely tense drive as the weather was still there and still getting worse. We finally made it to the hospital and they had already released Kenzie and were able to see Amy immediately. She was very banged up and in severe pain but the rural hospital we were at couldn't do anything more for her and released her with non-life threatening injuries. After several CT's and X-Rays the doctor determined that Ken had broken his neck at C2 but since they didn't have a neurologist anywhere near, they decided to transfer him to UCHealth Memorial in Colorado Springs. Memorial has a neurologist on staff and they determined that they would not do surgery since Ken was stable ... or insurance made that call. We may never know who actually made the call to not do surgery and may God help whoever made that decision if anything goes wrong.
The doctor told Ken that he will be confined to a neck brace to hold his head still for the next several months and placed some hefty restrictions on him. The most important thing they told us is that Ken will survive and should make a full recovery. Other than the pain he is in he is going to be alright. So now we are left with his next biggest issue ... money. Unfortunately, money makes the world go around and the bills don't stop when you are incapacitated. So, we are reaching out to friends and family and even the kindness of strangers. Ken, Amy, and Kenzie all share a home with my wife and I, so we are going to make sure that they keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies ... but they still have bills that must be taken care of. They will both be out of work for several months and as such will have absolutely no income.
We aren't asking for everyone to contribute every penny they need but if you could see it in your heart to donate something ... anything ... because every penny will help. If we can relieve the financial stress they are now under they can better focus on their own healing. Since we are not sure exactly how long they will be out of commission we have set a funding goal that covers them for the next 4 or so months. Any funds that are left over when they can return to work will be donated to the local fire and paramedics to help provide lifesaving equipment and training for others that find their self in this situation. By local I mean the departments that helped us in our time of need. I found out the next morning that these same departments responded to 4 or 5 other accidents in the same area that were as bad as this accident.
Thank you in advance for your generosity, kindness and continued prayers for a quick recovery.
Thanks,
Rodney Rees
We have some of the most incredible contractors helping us restore Glen-Isle to its historic splendor and we are so grateful that they each share our passion and love for this task. On the evening of November 24th, one of our contractors, Kenneth Rees, his wife Amy and their young daughter were returning to Bailey, CO from Thanksgiving with family in NM and were involved in a harrowing accident (details from family below) leaving Kenneth and Amy transported to a hospital in Colorado Springs with serious injuries. Kenneth's neck is fractured and Amy suffered injuries to her head, shoulder, and arms. Thankfully the daughter escaped safely. Kenneth will be in a neck brace for up to 12 weeks and unable to work and Amy will be out of work as well for several weeks. We are setting up this GOFUNDME for the family to help them during a long difficult road to recovery in which neither can work for quite some time. All funds will go directly for extensive medical expenses, lost wages, and essential family needs. Any funds over and above the goal or family needs will be directly donated to the volunteer fire department and first responders that arrived and essentially saved Ken's life and cared for Amy. Please read the families harrowing account of the accident below and know than any donation you can offer is deeply appreciated.
Greg and Mary Ruth Vincent - Glen-Isle
Dear family, friends, friends of friends and strangers ... who are just friends you haven't met yet,
On November 24, 2018 our family was traveling from Aztec, NM after having Thanksgiving with our 98-year-old Grandma for the first time in our life. We were headed back to our home in Bailey, CO when we ran in to extreme weather conditions. All along our travels we were constantly checking weather and road conditions to make sure we were safe to travel and saw nothing that should have been a concern to us.
We were a few miles north of Villa Grove when we ran into blowing snow, but nothing was sticking so we pressed on. We traveled about 10 miles when the conditions changed drastically. Snow started accumulating and the crosswinds picked up. I started slowing down and watching my brother and his family behind me. They were driving a Ford F-350 truck and my family and I were in my wife’s Infiniti. The conditions were getting worse by the millisecond and as I reached for the snow control button I could see my brother slowing down more than I did, so I slowed even more. As I watched my brother slowing down, I saw him make a hard left where there was no road to make a left. I knew near immediately that the snow had caused him to lose traction, combined with the strong crosswinds he went into a fishtail and ultimately lost control of his truck. I was able to get stopped and turned around safely so that I could check on them.
As I came to a stop at the scene of the accident my sister-in-law (Amy) and my niece (Kenzie) were coming out of the culvert towards us. Amy was screaming hysterically about my brother (Ken) was trapped and couldn't breathe. It took me a moment to collect my thoughts and process what I was looking at. In my mind it just wasn't clicking that my brothers’ truck was upside down and mangled. As I was running down the embankment towards the truck it clicked, and it clicked hard. My mind started racing and imagining the horrors I was about to see. Amy and Kenzie made it out so just how bad could it be?
As I tried to enter the front passenger window Amy cried out to me telling me that he was on the other side. I was calling for him, but he sounded a million miles away. I couldn't see him through the passenger side at all. I ran around to the driver’s side and that is when my heart sunk. From the ground to the top of the door there was only about 6" - 10" that I could reach in and feel my brother. I realized pretty quickly that there was no way I was getting him out that side. I ran back to the passenger side and belly crawled into the truck. As much as I tried to reach him the collapsed roof was in my way. It was at that point that I knew there was no way I was getting him out on my own. Several other travelers had stopped to try and render aide. I prayed to the Good Lord to either grant me the strength to lift this behemoth of a truck off of my brother or to be there with him. As you can tell from the pictures ... there was divine intervention.
As he fishtailed and crossed lanes and turning 180 degrees his front driver tire caught the soft shoulder. The truck was sent airborne over the deep culvert and rolled in the air. When it finally came to a stop on the far side of the culvert Amy had been partially ejected with damage to her shoulder and wrist, Kenzie however was left virtually unscathed and suffering a minor scratch on her ankle ... Ken however suffered the greatest. He was still sitting fairly upright with his seatbelt still on. His right leg was still extended and left leg bent, his right arm was pinned in the truck and his left arm was pinned with his elbow sticking out. This elbow and a small part of his beard is all that I could see through the little gap that was left of what was once a full truck window. I prayed for that superhuman strength we all hear and read about but with my small frame there was no way I was going to have that kind of muscle. Several bystanders tried to help me but there just wasn't enough of us.
My wife (Stacy) had already called 911 and help was on the way. Due to weather conditions it was going to take some time before anyone could get there. CSP was the first on the scene and they assured us that more help was on the way. I did all that I could to comfort my brother and let him know that we had folks coming. It felt as though time stood still ... the snow and bitter cold were getting worse. I knew that if we couldn't get him out, he was either going to die from exposure or his injuries. After what felt like hours had passed the first fire crew arrived. As they assessed the situation and developed a plan the EMT's arrived. I didn't count but was told that there were about 14 firefighters and 10 paramedics doing everything in their power to rescue Ken. After 30 minutes or so of intense work they were able to free him and get him out of the truck. The EMS Director was on scene and placed his life in direct danger as he slid under the truck to stabilize Ken as much as he could and to help him get out of the wreckage. To my, and everyone else’s, surprise Ken was able to push and pull his way out of the driver’s seat and onto the director’s body. Once he made it out and onto their equipment I leaned over my brother and gave him a kiss and told him how much I love him ... I wasn't sure if that moment was going to be the last chance for him to feel the warmth and love of another person before the Good Lord called him home.
As soon as the other ambulance drivers were sure that Ken was out they transported Amy and Kenzie to a local hospital with Ken not long behind. I gathered as much of their belongings as I could and concentrated on the most important items that would be needed. After we got what we could fit in our little car we left the scene and headed for the hospital. It was an extremely tense drive as the weather was still there and still getting worse. We finally made it to the hospital and they had already released Kenzie and were able to see Amy immediately. She was very banged up and in severe pain but the rural hospital we were at couldn't do anything more for her and released her with non-life threatening injuries. After several CT's and X-Rays the doctor determined that Ken had broken his neck at C2 but since they didn't have a neurologist anywhere near, they decided to transfer him to UCHealth Memorial in Colorado Springs. Memorial has a neurologist on staff and they determined that they would not do surgery since Ken was stable ... or insurance made that call. We may never know who actually made the call to not do surgery and may God help whoever made that decision if anything goes wrong.
The doctor told Ken that he will be confined to a neck brace to hold his head still for the next several months and placed some hefty restrictions on him. The most important thing they told us is that Ken will survive and should make a full recovery. Other than the pain he is in he is going to be alright. So now we are left with his next biggest issue ... money. Unfortunately, money makes the world go around and the bills don't stop when you are incapacitated. So, we are reaching out to friends and family and even the kindness of strangers. Ken, Amy, and Kenzie all share a home with my wife and I, so we are going to make sure that they keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies ... but they still have bills that must be taken care of. They will both be out of work for several months and as such will have absolutely no income.
We aren't asking for everyone to contribute every penny they need but if you could see it in your heart to donate something ... anything ... because every penny will help. If we can relieve the financial stress they are now under they can better focus on their own healing. Since we are not sure exactly how long they will be out of commission we have set a funding goal that covers them for the next 4 or so months. Any funds that are left over when they can return to work will be donated to the local fire and paramedics to help provide lifesaving equipment and training for others that find their self in this situation. By local I mean the departments that helped us in our time of need. I found out the next morning that these same departments responded to 4 or 5 other accidents in the same area that were as bad as this accident.
Thank you in advance for your generosity, kindness and continued prayers for a quick recovery.
Thanks,
Rodney Rees
Fundraising team: Rees Friends and Family (3)
Greg D. Vincent
Organizer
Glenelk, CO
Amy Rees
Beneficiary
Rodney Rees
Team member