Support Deputy Chris and Wife Leah After His Accident

The evening of April 17th is one that changed lives forever. Off-duty Deputy Chris Lee (along with his sidekick dog, Quinn) were doing one of their daily hobbies: beaver trapping. In the excitement of checking traps, 3 coyotes ran across the road and Quinn jumped out of the truck window. Chris turned the truck around and parked it. He didn’t see Quinn so he got out of his truck to find her. Quinn came running up out of the ditch and was struck by a vehicle, she laid there yelping. Chris’s goal was to get to Quinn and render aid. Little did he know, he wouldn’t even make it to her side. A Tahoe coming from the other direction struck Chris. He hit the front passengers side, between the grill and headlight. With the hood dented, headlight busted, and bumper torn up, he’s lucky to be alive!

Both drivers of the vehicles involved stayed by his side until emergency services arrived. At that point it was determined he needed to be airlifted to Fargo. Once to Fargo they found:

•broken vertebrae (which required no further intervention)

•the radius bone in his forearm broken into multiple pieces

•an open book pelvic fracture

•a ruptured bladder

•plus road rash and bruises

With blood loss and his hemoglobin dropping he needed a blood transfusion. On the 18th the medical team worked for many hours in surgery repairing his bladder and pelvis. His pelvis required 6 screws and a plate in front and 1 screw in back. On the 20th they performed surgery again but this time on his radius bone, which also required plates and screws. He will have a Foley catheter for about 4 weeks and be in a wheelchair for 8-12 weeks. He is non weight bearing and will need to do slide board transfers during that time. His arm is also non weight bearing for at least 4 weeks. As of the 23rd his hemoglobin is finally on an upward trend, but his white blood cell count is elevated and he has a low grade fever. So they are monitoring for an infection.

At this time there is no scheduled hospital release date. Once released he will go to a short term rehab facility. His wife Leah will be getting the house ready to bring him home and care for him.

Quinn was taken to the vet and is doing well, but missing her dad.

Chris and Leah are both people that would never ask for help, but they continually give and give.

This GoFundMe will provide essential support for medical expenses, life flight, and the day-to-day needs of them as they adjust to life. Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a meaningful difference and show our love and support.