Insurance Bills received as of 1/19/06
Trauma - $1,329
Hospital Room & Board (4dys) - $79,231
Surgery - $7,295
Radiology - $606
Medical Visits - $1,648
Medical Supplies - $78
Helicopter - $11,001
Home Care/PT - TBD
Total Insurance Cost so far- $101,188
Patient Out of pocket cost $100
In October of 2005 I successfully
transformed myself into Napoleon
Dynamite. At the time it was believed that
my hair had reached it's full potential,
when in fact it was just the beginning.
Napoleon Dynamite was actually a red
herring to my hairs true purpose, one of
strength and prowess. On December 11th
this theory was put to a test which
involved me piloting my parachute into
the back of a stationary pick-up truck w/
cab on the back. As you can see, the
painful results of this test will be felt for a
long time, but did my hair save my life?,
more tests must be run, we will keep you
all posted of our progress.
5 cracked ribs - left side
Fractured femur - left leg
Laceration - 5" long -from truck glass
Bruised Lung
Bruised Ego
Medicines
Percocet - pain
Ambien- sleeping
Colace - constipation
Lovenox - blood thinner shot
It was my 6th jump of the day. I was observing 2
students perform a low altitude exit (3,500ft
AGL w/5sec delay & pull stable). After
observing the second students deployment I
exited the aircraft and deployed my parachute
and began piloting it to the ground.
In an area nearby there was a group of people
that were performing an ultra-light operations.. I
had flown over the area several times that day.
There were no obstacles minus their tent &
vehicle which were 30 ft apart.
On this flight I decided to land nearby and say
hello. There were nominal winds and had
decided on a basic 180deg front riser turn
landing
I initiated my turn to close overhead and with
not enough altitude to recover from a
mis-heading. The combination of factors left me
with no "OUT" and I impacted the rear end of a
pick up truck at a 'high' rate of speed. It had a
cab on the back which was closed. My lower
body landed entirely in the back of the truck
with my left leg folded in half. How I was not cut
in half I will never know. The total elapse of time
from initiating my turn to impact was probably
less than 6 seconds.
If not for my Helmet, Muscularity, and huge
Angel on my shoulders I probably wouldn't be
writing this today.
As a Skydiving Instructor and Construction
Manager we are faced with 'risk' each and
every day. We much evaluate these 'risks' and
mitigate them to the best of our ability. Even
though I had evaluated the landing area and
was performing canopy maneuvers that I do
routinely, It was a risk that I did not need to
take. I will learn from this failure and hope that
others around me will consider always wearing
a helmet or not try to do something that
exceeds their ability or not add unnecessary
elements of complexity to situation. Next time I
may not be so lucky.
Dec. 29th - 1st Check-up w/
Orthopedics completed, no weight
allowed on leg for 4 more weeks.
Femur showing 1st signs of healing:)
Staples removed and am now only
taking Ibuprofen & Keflex.
I have some Hematoma & inflammation
around major incision which needs to
be watched and treated with Keflex
My fever has just subsided, Dec 21st
1-4am vomiting and high fever. I have
reduced my pain meds which will
hopefully aid in being able to sleep at
night
I am able to obtain a 40deg bend in
knee with assistance.
I am mobile via a walker, unable to use
crutches due to the rib injuries
No weight allowed on Lft Leg - TBD
Appetite is good and evening fever
spike is now minimal.
To the staff of Desert Skydiving
for their immediate and
professional Ground
assistance. I would like
especially single out Mike
Beardsley (STA), Ron Smith
(Paramedic & up jumper), Leo
(Rigger), & Gary F (DZO).
Without their efforts I know I
would be in a much-much
worse disposition.
To Betsy Barnhouse (Skydive
Arizona-GM) for ensuring that all
emergency contacts were
notified immediately.
Saint Josephs hospital - Trauma
Team, Orthopaedic Team, & Life
Flight
To Casey Reed and my
collegies at Kinetics for their
overwelming concern and
support
and last but not least to Becky
Finke and family. I could not
have made it out of the hospital
and been cared for as well as I
have without you all. Thank you
for all your love.
See you all soon - Blue Skies
renowned for his great strength and
his prowess in battle. According to
legend, in one battle, he slew 1000
Philistines warriors all by himself. The
source of Samson's strength was his
hair When enticed into cutting his hair
by Delilah, he lost his strength and was
taken prisoner by the Philistines. At a
festival he was chained between two
huge pillars. He was mocked and spat
upon. As his hair grew back, his
strength returned. He pulled down the
pillars causing the temple they
supported to collapse.
