Injury broken leg/osteomyelitis
Donation protected
Hi my name is Nick, I'm from the bay area, I currently live in Vallejo, CA . On Thursday, May the 10th, I was commuting home from work on my motorcycle when I was struck by a car @ the intersection of Redwood st. and N Camino Alto as they were attemting to make an illegal u-turn. Neither the driver of the vehicle, nor the owner of the vehicle had insurance.
Approching the intersection I observed a sedan making a right turn on red light. They made their turn and began driving east on Redwood st. in the right hand lane. Seeing this, I continued through the intersection in the left hand lane, when suddenly the car pulls a hard left into the lane I occupied, so Instinctualy I swerved away from the car into the oncoming lanes. There was just no avoiding the car slamming into the right side of me.
My right leg was crushed between the car and my bike, causing a bone out compound fracture in my right leg, breaking the two bones in five places. The Tibia (weight bearing bone that runs down the shin) was shattered creating a 2 inch gap of splintered bone. The Fibula, was broken in three places.
Due to the severity of my injuries, I required immediate blood transfusion and my first surgery. They installed a rod and four screws to suppert the Tibia break and closed up the rest of the gaping wounds from the bones tearing through my flesh. Three months later, with a thurough cleaning, a week of anti-biotics, rest and no work, the bone appeared to be healing slowly. Early Monday, August 16 I awoke with excrutiating pain in my right knee, the next Wednesday I had X-rays taken and found a screw in my knee had backed out. Two days later I went back to the hospital, the infection in the bone had become very apperant, causing severe swelling and pain. Initialy the doctors tried an oral anti-biotic. Waking up that Sunday morning I found the swellig had not gone down and the wounds that appeared to be all but healed, had began oozing a pinkish mixtur of blood and puss.The doctors then needed to cut a hole in my shin 1/2" deep, 5" long, and 1" wide to clean out the infection and remove a dead bone fragment marking my second surgery and the begining of a 19 day stay in the hospital on August 21st. After the infection site had been cut open and cleaned out, the metal rod that held the bones together needed to be removed and replaced by a temporary ati-biotic impregnated epoxi rod. That Tuesday was the third surgery, the first of the temporary anti-biotic rod needed to be in my leg for ten days at which point the amount of anti-biotics eminating from the rod greatly diminished. Nearing the end of my long stay in the hospital Tuesday the 6th, my forth but not final surgery came around, at which point they installed the second temporary rod, a small metal rod coated with the anti-biotic epoxy as wel as four new screws. These anti-biotic coated rods as well as eight weeks of I.V. anti-biotics three times a day, is required to kill the infection.
Once the infection has subsided I will need to undergo a final surgery to replace the temporary anti-biotic rod with another perment metal rod, as well as a bone graph taken from my hip.
As you can see, my girlfriend Beth and I'm are in for quite the haul. I will be lucky if I'm walking again let alone working before next spring.
I have been out of work sense the accident and have run through all my savings to pay rent, eat, and the many different cost of caring for my injury. Hundreds of thousands of dollars spent trying to fix, my leg. I am no more than 1/4 of the way through the healing process, which means I will be out of work for at least six months to a year.
This money will go twords rent, food, bandages and metical expences.
I am a simple motorcycle mechanic, with this extreme injury I cannot walk without chruches, I cannot put any weight on my right leg, which makes it imposible to move morocycles, or lift any thing mor than ten lb.s. and I cannot carry anything this injury makes it imposible for me to work. I am in a great deal of pain and I cannot leave the house on my own, thankfully I have an amazing , beautiful girlfriend, my wounderful mother and father whohave steped up to help get me to my doctor apointments, get food, and supplies for treating my injury. We on the other hand are not rich, and though I am recieving great moral and emotional suport, as well as great medical help at North Bay Medical Center, Fairfield CA. I no longer poses the resources to keep up on the day to day expences.
I would be very thankful for any suport I've been left high and dry by this irresponsible person, a person that clearly does not respect the law or society, and walks away with minumal consiquence, taking zero responsibility for their actions.
As a result of this individuals dicision, I have been unable to walk at all for months, and will be left with a life long, problems and pains.
Thank you very much for your contributions they are greatly appriciated
Nicholas Thibeault and Elizabeth Holly
Organizer
Nicholas Thibeault
Organizer
Vallejo, CA