Side Car Sammy

For those who don’t know or have not received the details Sammy was in a motorcycle accident while traveling from Alabama to Kentucky after a day off spent with a fellow Indian Rider.

    Sunday, June 3, 2018 - The accident occurred near Glencoe, AL on a 4 lane highway approximately 4 hours from his destination of Paducah, KY. According to the officer, he was passing a car at a speed of 65 miles per hour when the bike went into a wobble (tank slapper) that made it unrecoverable. Sam somehow managed to not be hit by oncoming traffic or take anyone out in the process. The bike went off the road, flipped and rolled throwing him back onto the freeway but thankfully witnesses saw the event and managed to avoid running over him. This all may well be rewritten as Sam remembers it better than the officer was able to provide, but this is a summation of the report. His cherished Dark Horse lay in 3 pieces while Sam was air-lifted to University Alabama Birmingham Hospital. Police and EMS response was extremely quick and had him on his way in short time. Fortunately he was well geared up with full face helmet and Leather jacket which undoubtedly saved his life. I’ve hugged that helmet and said I love you to it a few times since seeing what could have been so much worse.
His injuries included:
– Broken Right lower Leg (now has a plate)
– Broken Left ankle and bone at base of big toe
– Broken upper jaw
– And most serious an extremely bruised spinal cord.
Evidently it bent his spine in an L-Shape but somehow ended being back in a straight position at the end. There is some road rash but not too severe. Thankfully there was no brain injury and both arms, hands, shoulders, neck and head are in great shape with minimal damage other than his jaw. They put a bridge in his mouth to correct the jaw and that seems to have been successful. When I arrived in Birmingham and finally made it to his side in ICU he was awake and ready to talk while awaiting going into surgery. I told him that the motorcycle insurance we had been carrying would cover the bike at it’s full value and a bit of medical pay as well. He chimed right in that he was pleased and that he hoped to use the pay-out to purchase an Indian Springfield this time and attach the sidecar to that…”I’ll be able to be on it much faster that way” he said! And with that we were off to surgery and a miserable week ahead just getting the swelling down and waiting for things to stabilize. He has stayed strong throughout everything that has been thrown his way as they keep him on a forward path here at UAB. It’s the 3rd largest medical facility in the U.S. and the docs and nurses are exceptional. We are so lucky to have landed here in the situation we were given.
 

The result of the spinal injury has left him unable to feel or wiggle anything from his chest down. The doctors stated that the next 3 weeks will be critical in determining if the use of his legs will return and they would need to see him be able to wiggle his toes as a sign of that being a possibility. So we are all remaining hopeful. The spinal surgery was done on Monday, June 4th in the evening and was about 5 hours plus...long. The doctor was pleased with the success of what they intended for the surgery and said it went very well. He explained the surgery wasn't to repair, but to stabilize, his spine to prevent any further damage occurring while he is being moved around and in recovery. Sam is fully aware of the situation but is staying strong and working hard to the best end result.


 
 We are so grateful for any help we receive, and a HUGE  thank you to those who have already given so much.