Friday, February 13, 2009

Jon and I woke up about 7am (he 's off work on Fridays due to cut backs) we decided that after we took the dog on her morning walk we would come home and watch a movie we had started and generally be bums that day. We bundled up and leashed the dog up and headed out the door as we have done everyday for the last 8 years. It had snowed the night before but when we woke the sun was shining and it was clear and cold. As we walked through the school we noticed the weeping birch trees all covered in snow and wished we had the camera. We walked along one of the corridors and headed across the basketball court towards the field we were about half way across when we heard the "crack" I heard Jon yell and I only got two steps and then it was all over. When I had stepped out from behind the tree I had taken shelter under, I thought "wow that was close". I started yelling for Jon. He did not answer, and I couldn't figure out how he could have gotten so far away and not hear me in so little time. I kept yelling for him but still nothing. Then I noticed the dog running around, but there were no other footprints in the snow. Then I started looking at the tree and I found him towards the top. He was slightly bowed in on himself face down. I cleared the snow from around his nose and mouth (while frantically screaming his name) there was a lot of blood and I was very scared. I knew I had to get help but I did not want to leave him. I ran towards the front of the school and tried to break a window either to set of the alarm or to get to the phone, either would have worked for me at that moment. The windows proved to be the better match and I was torn between going back or going to find help. There is an apt. building that was just as close as Jon was to me so I headed that way. The first apt. I came to had the lights on and I knocked (very persistently). It was young couple the dad was up feeding the two babies breakfast, his wife coming out of the bedroom too see what the commotion was. They let me use the phone and I called 911. The dad came back with me to see if he could help. Jon had regained consciousness, and the police dept. showed up minutes later. It took 5 of them to lift the tree off of him but no one dared touch him until the ambulance showed up. A few minutes later the paramedics were there and lifted him on the backboard and that's when I knew something was really wrong. The right leg sat at an odd angle and they could not straighten it out. When they started to cut off his clothes one of the officers a friend of ours told me I should take the dog home and he would come get me and drive me to the hospital. I ran home and fed the dog and changed my clothes. When he came to pick me up he told me Jon was going to be life flighted out and that they would not let me ride with him. I was so upset, had I known I would not see him for god knows how long I never would have left him. He did not know where they were taking him but he would call as soon as he heard. Then I heard the helicopter it was flying right over the street headed for the school. I debated running back up to see him before they loaded him up but knew I would never make it. I called Shayla and explained what happened and that I would call as soon as I knew where they were taking her dad. She had called one of our friends, Vanessa, and had her come over and stay with me. I found out he was being taken to Sutter-Roseville and called Shay back. She works only 5 min. away from the hospital. Vanessa drove me down to the hospital through icy streets and got me there safe and sound. When we arrived Shay and Josh were already here, then the doctor let me know what was happening. Jon had a fractured femur, fractured pelvis, fractured spine, and four fractured ribs. The upside was his internal organs were intact and he had no head injury. Jon was awake and pretty coherent considering everything. The hopital transfered him from Emergency to Trauma ICU and got him stabalized. Once stabalized they took him in to repair his femur. They have attached a metal plate to his femur he had a lot of small pieces in there so the plate will help keep everything straight. The surgery took about 3 hours and he was in a lot pain afterward but it went well.