Cycling Accident: Update

[BumbleBeeDave]

I spent some time on the phone with Keith yesterday and he OK’d me to update you on how it’s going for him right now . . .

• First, this is his second brain injury of 2023. He had an earlier crash back in March and he remembers he posted something about it on the forum but doesn’t remember how much.

• He doesn’t remember anything about this crash, and all he knows had been told to him by others. He was found immediately after the crash, and it happened only about five miles from the hospital, but because of the severity of his injuries the chopper was called. As best I understood what he told me, he hit something and went over the bars during a group ride. He was found holding a water bottle in his hand–apparently not his own bottle.

• He was in the regular hospital in Jacksonville for two weeks and has now been in the rehab hospital (also in Jacksonville) for a week. He’s hoping to be able to go home and continue his rehab there in another week. But that is by no means assured at this time. There is apparently not a comparable rehab facility in his hometown, a two-hour drive from Jacksonville.

• His wife has been with him in Jacksonville for the past three weeks, staying in a hotel, and will stay with him as long as needed. So extra expenses and the GoFundMe is a huge help with that. He is very grateful for everyone’s help!

• He was talking slowly but clearly when we spoke for almost an hour. He tells me he currently can remember how to do things when needed or asked, but actually getting his body to execute them is only done with difficulty. He also can see and process things fine on the left side of his field of vision but has trouble on the right side. But these things have been improving and will hopefully continue to improve. His balance is for the most part OK and he can walk OK, but of course can’t really go anywhere.

• He’s anxious to go home because while his therapy involves almost three hours per day, the rest of the time he’s sitting around doing not much of anything, and you can only take daytime TV for so long before you go crazy. He also wants to see his family again, including two one-year-old grandchildren.

• He’s having the most difficulty with processing and executing new things. This is a big problem for future work, since he supervises both domestic and overseas engineers and almost everything he has a hand in includes correcting software issues that involve answering new questions and making new corrections to several hundred issues every week. Fortunately, his boss (who has also been a friend for many years) has been very supportive and understanding.

• Cycling? Forget it for the immediate future. He’s been told if he rides and crashes again, it would most likely be fatal. We’ll see how this develops as time passes.

• He says right now he is open to emails from those who already have his address, but his wife is helping him with answering them so it might be a while before he responds. Most of his communication has been calling folks he knows.

The most important takeaways for me are that he is alive, he is in good hands, he is deeply appreciative of all the good thoughts and positive energy you all have been sending and all the support from his forum and other friends through the GoFundMe.

GO KEITH!!!!

BBD

[jimcav]

very good to hear of his progress, and I hope our well-wishes are a small source of strength for the rehab road ahead.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by BumbleBeeDave

I spent some time on the phone with Keith yesterday and he OK’d me to update you on how it’s going for him right now . . .

• First, this is his second brain injury of 2023. He had an earlier crash back in March and he remembers he posted something about it on the forum but doesn’t remember how much.

• He doesn’t remember anything about this crash, and all he knows had been told to him by others. He was found immediately after the crash, and it happened only about five miles from the hospital, but because of the severity of his injuries the chopper was called. As best I understood what he told me, he hit something and went over the bars during a group ride. He was found holding a water bottle in his hand–apparently not his own bottle.

• He was in the regular hospital in Jacksonville for two weeks and has now been in the rehab hospital (also in Jacksonville) for a week. He’s hoping to be able to go home and continue his rehab there in another week. But that is by no means assured at this time. There is apparently not a comparable rehab facility in his hometown, a two-hour drive from Jacksonville.

• His wife has been with him in Jacksonville for the past three weeks, staying in a hotel, and will stay with him as long as needed. So extra expenses and the GoFundMe is a huge help with that. He is very grateful for everyone’s help!

• He was talking slowly but clearly when we spoke for almost an hour. He tells me he currently can remember how to do things when needed or asked, but actually getting his body to execute them is only done with difficulty. He also can see and process things fine on the left side of his field of vision but has trouble on the right side. But these things have been improving and will hopefully continue to improve. His balance is for the most part OK and he can walk OK, but of course can’t really go anywhere.

• He’s anxious to go home because while his therapy involves almost three hours per day, the rest of the time he’s sitting around doing not much of anything, and you can only take daytime TV for so long before you go crazy. He also wants to see his family again, including two one-year-old grandchildren.

• He’s having the most difficulty with processing and executing new things. This is a big problem for future work, since he supervises both domestic and overseas engineers and almost everything he has a hand in includes correcting software issues that involve answering new questions and making new corrections to several hundred issues every week. Fortunately, his boss (who has also been a friend for many years) has been very supportive and understanding.

• Cycling? Forget it for the immediate future. He’s been told if he rides and crashes again, it would most likely be fatal. We’ll see how this develops as time passes.

• He says right now he is open to emails from those who already have his address, but his wife is helping him with answering them so it might be a while before he responds. Most of his communication has been calling folks he knows.

The most important takeaways for me are that he is alive, he is in good hands, he is deeply appreciative of all the good thoughts and positive energy you all have been sending and all the support from his forum and other friends through the GoFundMe.

GO KEITH!!!!

BBD

Very thoughtful. Thanks for posting.

[texbike]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

Very thoughtful. Thanks for posting.

Agreed! Thanks for the update BBD.

Texbike

[Elefantino]

Thanks, Dave!

Assuming he was taken to Shands Jacksonville, it's a world-class trauma hospital so he received great care.

I sincerely hope he can ride again but first things first. Here's hoping to a steady recovery!

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . and here's an update. Keith was speaking slowly and deliberately and his wife Ruth Ann chimed in to fill in details as we spoke for about 30 minutes.

Only four weeks post-injury, and Keith has already moved out of the rehab hospital and is now in a rehab residence facility with his wife. Neither one has been home to their normal residence since the injury on December 9. She takes him on the short drive each day to therapy from 9am-3pm.

He said he has to concentrate really hard to make the right side of his body do what he asks of it and is having problems seeing out of his right eye right now. Not surprising since the major brain injury was on the left side of his brain. He's also still in a lot of discomfort from the large amount of healing road rash he has from the crash. He still has not recovered any memory of the crash or exactly how it happened.

But his wife told me that there has been noticeable improvement in his condition and abilities in the past week, though Keith doesn't notice it as much as she does. She also told me the rehab residence has fortunately been covered by their insurance, but there have been many things they have had to deal with that are not covered, and they are deeply grateful to everyone who has helped out with the GoFundMe.

I think considering the seriousness of his injuries, particularly the brain injury, he's doing extremely well for only four weeks post-injury. He knows there are many people here who are caring about and following how he's doing, and he wants to thank you all for that. He still has not checked in here because he said he's avoiding screens and his wife is helping him reply to anything she see's that seems to require an immediate answer.

Please keep him in your thoughts and let's hope things continue to improve!

BBD

[OtayBW]

Oh, GOOD GRIEF!

I've been off-line and incommunicado for the last 3 weeks and this is the first that I've heard of this. I'm really sorry to hear this news, and I certainly wish all the best for a speedy and 100% recovery for Keith.....

[thwart]

Thanks for another update, BBD.

Safe to say Keith is in our thoughts.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by thwart

Thanks for another update, BBD.

Safe to say Keith is in our thoughts.

Ditto...

[zmudshark]

In case anyone needs the GoFundMe link:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-keit...rough-recovery

[sc53]

Thanks for these great detailed updates Dave. Everyone on the forum sends Keith and his family much love and positive thoughts for healing and recovery.

[Bruce K]

We received a message from Keith’s sister-in-law on the FB page

The latest prognosis is that Keith will most likely recover all of his vision but the chances of a full recovery from this accident are about 10%.

We need to keep the GoFundMe supported the best we can before it winds up as the family will need all the help it can get

BK

[zmudshark]

Originally Posted by Bruce K

We received a message from Keith’s sister-in-law on the FB page

The latest prognosis is that Keith will most likely recover all of his vision but the chances of a full recovery from this accident are about 10%.

We need to keep the GoFundMe supported the best we can before it winds up as the family will need all the help it can get

BK

I've given anonymously, but I've given $200. I'm a retired guy who can't ride anymore.

I'd love to put some bike parts up for donation. I think it would be fantastic if I could give someone something I can no longer use, and the money went to Keith. Most of my stuff is vintage, but there is some nice stuff.

Mods, any way we can do something like this as a fundraiser? I know auctions aren't allowed, but maybe this one time?

[EliteVelo]

Just a quick update....

I just got off the phone with Keith since our initial conversation several weeks back, more than likely around BumbleBeeDave's post.

Keith sounds significantly better than the first time around, but is still having issues with vision in the right eye. He is in daily physical therapy which keeps him happy and free from muscle atrophy, albeit losing 10 pounds.

While he is still at the rehab facility in Jacksonville, more than likely for another 2 months, he was in good spirits and happy for the call. If you have his email address, please send along a message, as I'm sure he would appreciate it.

To quote BumbleBeeDave, "The most important takeaways for me are that he is alive, he is in good hands, he is deeply appreciative of all the good thoughts and positive energy you all have been sending and all the support from his forum and other friends through the GoFundMe."

[p nut]

Just wondering if there are any updates? What’s he need? Hope recovery is going well.