Remember My Brother

[Ford Man]

I'm asking for everyone to remember my brother in prayer, he was involved in an auto accident last night and is in the trauma unit at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. There was a cow in the middle of the road and it was already dark, so apparently he didn't see it until it was too late. They had to life flight him from the accident scene in KY to Nashville, TN (about 80-85 miles away). He was able to talk to them at the accident scene last last night and told them his name. His wife's brother was one of the first ones to come up on the accident after it happened and even after seeing him, he didn't know who it was until my brother was able to tell them his name. The doctors are saying either every bone or nearly every bone in his face is broken and they currently have him on a ventilator to help him breath. I've been over to see him today and just from the looks of his head and face I have to say he's lucky to be alive. He's still got the neck brace on that they put on him at the scene of the accident, because they can't do an MRI on his neck until they can get some of the medical equipment removed from him. They have him heavily sedated, but the nurses have ask him a couple times to give them a thumbs up and he has responded. I think he realizes we are there even though he can't talk to us, because a couple times while I was in to see him the nurses were working with him and he started fighting it, but I told him everything was alright and he would stop fighting with them and let them do whatever they were doing. My mom also said while she was back to see him, his wife mentioned their grand daughters name to him and he moved his eye brows as if he were responding. The doctors have already told us it's going to be a long drawn out process and that he would have to have multiple surgeries on his face. At least he's at the best trauma hospital in this area and probably one of the best in the nation. Everyone just please remember him and pray that everything works out good for him.

[GasSavers_BEEF]

wow, he hit a cow.

I've heard of people hitting deer and them rolling into the cab and messing people up. I couldn't imagine if that were to happen with an 800lb animal.

definitely keep him in my prayers.

even if everything turns out good, he has a long road ahead of him. just do your best to keep his spirits up.

[Ford Man]

Originally Posted by BEEF

wow, he hit a cow.

I've heard of people hitting deer and them rolling into the cab and messing people up. I couldn't imagine if that were to happen with an 800lb animal.

definitely keep him in my prayers.

even if everything turns out good, he has a long road ahead of him. just do your best to keep his spirits up.

Thanks Beef!! We're not sure whether the cow actually hit him or if it was something else in the car, because no one at the hospital today had yet seen the car. They said when they got to the car he had his hands clasp behind his head, so we're wondering if he saw it right before hitting it and used his hands and arms to try to protect his head, maybe ducking and the air bag hitting him in the face. They said he hit the cow hard enough that it killed the cow.

In KY motorcycle riders aren't required to wear helmets and I ride motorcycles and wear a helmet, but I think if some of the people who don't wear helmets would go in and see some of the people with head trauma it would make them think more seriously about wearing one.

[GasSavers_Erik]

He'll be in my prayers.

Vanderbilt is a great trauma hospital. From my personal experience in Sept 09 (when I had my above knee amputation after a motorcycle accident), the doctors and nurses were top notch. I never felt that they ignored any of my or my wife's concerns, they were always very professional and kept me comfortable.

Like Beef said, keep him focused on the positive and on the future.

In my opinion, for many men, showing too much sympathy for them CAN be a bad thing and can drag them down.

[VetteOwner]

wow, yea i dont belive in drivers ed they tell you what to do when encountering a cow...

at least he sounds like he consciously knows people so he hasnt lost memory. yea it will be long and drawn out but it could have been very worse...


on a related side note i think mythbusters did the myth of either speeding up or slowing down when about to hit a moose (kinda like a cow i guess), i think the outcome was slowing down as any reduction in speed is a reduction in momentum. and a reduction in forces/damage etc

all i know its better to hit the animal than to swerve so slam on the brakes, lay on the horn and hope for the best...

[Ford Man]

Erik, I think you told me before you lived in Christian county. My brother lives in Pembroke and the accident happened on US 41 between Pembroke and Trenton.

I agree that all the nursing personel I met today while at Vanderbilt were really nice, professional and worked really great with the ones in the trauma unit.

I'm disabled now because of a back injury that I sustained from a construction related accident 11 years ago. I know from experience things like this are very hard to adjust to. I think my brother will be OK, he has family and life long friends that will help him though this hard time in his life.

It was just a few months ago we were on our way home from church one Sunday night when I rounded a curve and there were several cows right on the edge of the road and I nearly hit one that night, I had room to swerve toward the center of the road without endangering us or anyone else on the road. If they had been in the middle of the road I'd have definitly hit one, because I wouldn't have had enough time to react and miss it.

Thanks to all who have replied and are keeping him in your prayers.

[FrugalFloyd]

Wishing the best for your brother. He's responsive, and in good hands. I hope he pulls through.

My hunting buddy's son hit a moose once. I've been in 2 cars that hit deer. Moose and cattle have huge mass that comes right through a windshield. Deer tend to smash bumpers and grills.

[shatto]

Prayer sent.

[IndyFetch]

Originally Posted by BEEF

definitely keep him in my prayers.

even if everything turns out good, he has a long road ahead of him. just do your best to keep his spirits up.

<< What he said.

what is your brother's name?

[Ford Man]

Originally Posted by Fetch

<< what is your brother's name?

Terry Cook

I hit a couple deer in my '88 Escort about a year or so ago, the first one was apparently on the edge of the road and I didn't see it and had to turn around and see what I'd hit to make sure it wasn't a person. The deer was laying dead in the ditch. The second one ran out of the woods and right into my path, I saw it before getting to it and was able to slow way down before impact. Both happened within a couple months of one another. All the damage that was done was that the first one must have hit low and raised the steel bumper on the Escort about an inch.