I am finally able to give everyone an update on my dad... sorry it has taken awhile to get a grip on whats going on. I finally found some pieces to the puzzle of how the train wreck even happened... When dad was on his way back to work Tuesday morning at a little after 10 am he was hit by a coal train right by the house. I believe he looked the usual direction that they come from, but at the last second saw that it was coming the other way. I heard there were a few skid marks so he tried to stop, only to probably make it worse as he was stuck and took a mile and a half ride on the front of the train before it could stop. Luckily he was in his big work truck instead of a small car, our it may have been worse. Kim and I were totally unaware that anything had happened until around 1 pm. She had went outside to clean out my dads little truck and remembers hearing a helicopter, but little did we know it was him. We found out he had been in the accident when a good friend of his Rick called. He had been life-flighted to joplin. I heard he was semi coherent when help arrived, and wish I could have been there to say I love you before the adrenaline rush wore off. He has since been incoherent and in a coma, sleeping like state but cannot wake up. He is still in a stable condition, and seems like a few things progress every day. He has severe brain injury, Is on a respirator, has a few neck fractures, cracked ribs and partial collapsed lung, fractures around his collar bone and shoulder, and very minor cuts. The doctors have been able to give us very little information daily, but he seems to be making progress. They put a tube and monitor on his brain in case thay needed to relieve pressure if it got too high. They removed this after a few days as he didnt need it. They put him on a respirator and the machine was breathing for him. Yesterday they were able to change the settings and he is initiating each breath. His collapsed lung is doing better and they were able to remove a tube they placed there assist with inflation. Hes bleeding a little in them however so are draining this since he is unable to cough on his own, though he sometimes seems to try. The first few days when we would talk to him or touch him he got agitated and world sometimes open his eyes up real wide as if he were looking us in our eyes. He did this a handful of times. It hasnt happened much, but he opens them slightly and stares or moves his eyes around a little and the pupils dilate. His reflexes to stimulation and pain have been spotty, but has lately moved his hands and feet. Yesterday he seemed to be moving one arm a little and his feet, so we are told this is not a normal reflex. His hands and feet are swollen, and doctors worry about blood clots forming. They are putting a filter in today in his groin area in case to prevent any from moving to his brain if they start forming. MRI and CT scans show his brain appears normal, but is bleeding in 4 spots. The doctors cant get a clear picture of the extent of the damage until he comes out of the coma. This could be anytime or take a year or more. We also must face the fact that he may not ever come out of it. When or if he does he will need extensive rehab and may have to learn everything all over again. Memory is also questionable and he may or may not forget his family, friends, and love for fishing and metallica. We are all hoping for the best, and I just want my dad back. I want to be able to help him get better and get back to a normal life. Please continue to pray and God help him. Xoxo Dad
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 14:02:32 +0000
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