Single Dad, Double Amputee: Help James

It was just after 6am on January 23rd, when I awoke to a terrifying text from my friend James’ 17-year-old daughter.

“Please call me back, it’s an emergency. Dad’s in the hospital.”

My first bleary thought as I dialed her back was, “what now?” The past year had not been kind to James. First, he was laid off at work. Then, he suffered through the breakdown of his marriage. Not long after that, James and his daughter C.C. had to move out of their home and leave their beloved dogs behind. And now … C.C. picked up the phone.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Dad was in a car accident and they had to amputate his legs.”

My half-awake mind struggled to process the information. James had been driving home from a friend’s house and it began to snow. As he reached McIntyre Square off McKnight Road, a patch of untreated road caused him to lose control of the car. The vehicle skidded off the shoulder and slammed into a utility pole.

The force of the crash pinned James’ left leg below the steering column. His right leg was also crushed and badly hurt. The car’s lower airbags had failed to deploy. Horrifyingly, as James sat there trapped, he slowly began to realize that the car was on fire. The shouts of passing motorists confirmed this - “Fire! Fire!”

(The car after the accident.)

James was suddenly confronted with a terrible choice. He could sit there and hope to be rescued before he burned/bled to death or he could try to tear himself free. James wrenched open the driver’s side door and began to pull.

It’s almost impossible to imagine what James went through as he tried to literally rip his crushed left leg apart to free himself from the car. Despite the shock and the adrenaline, James said it far surpassed the worst pain he ever experienced in his life.

And yet, somehow he did manage to pull himself free. James was laying in the snow, both legs almost unrecognizable when the ambulance arrived. He was rushed to Allegheny General Hospital where surgeons had to amputate the right leg above the ankle and the left just below the knee.

As harrowing as this ordeal sounds, it’s just the beginning of the road for James. Last week, he was transferred from AGH Trauma to UPMC Passavant for rehabilitation. His doctors say he should be able to walk again with prosthetics, but it could take more than a year of recovery and grueling physical therapy. It may take far longer for James to process the mental and emotional trauma of his experience.

Meanwhile, James’ friends and family have rallied around him during this time of crisis. One thing has become clear above all - we want him to be able to focus as much as possible on his recovery. To do that, we’ve been pitching in as best we can with visits, food, running errands, and emotional support. Still, as the bills pile up, we’ve realized that we need to take more drastic action. That’s why we’ve launched this GoFundMe.

As mentioned above, even prior to the accident, James had a really rough year. He was laid off from his job, suffered through a divorce and lost his home. Meanwhile, he has been sending every spare dollar to keep C.C. enrolled at The Ellis School, where she plays soccer and competes on the swim team. Just when James was starting to put things back together, the accident totally wiped him out.

Here are some things that James and C.C. need help with now and in the near future:

If you’ve ever met James, you’ll know that he is one of the most outgoing, friendly and generous people you could ever hope to meet. His intake caseworker at the hospital called him the most talkative trauma patient she ever met. It didn’t take him long to befriend all the nurses and hospital staff on his floor. Above all, he’s a fantastic dad who has done everything he can to give C.C. a better life.

With a bit of help now, I know that James will bounce back even stronger and more motivated than before. Please give anything you can to help keep him on the road to recovery and C.C. on the road to college!

All donations will go directly through 

GoFundMe to James Conner, so rest easy knowing that your contribution is getting where it is needed most.  

(James and C.C. in happier times.)