Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
A MOMENT OF TERROR, A LIFETIME OF RENEWED HOPE: If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a multitude of experiences that are not meant for you at all. They are meant to make you useful in His hands and to enable you to understand what transpires in other souls so that you will never be surprised at what you come across. - Oswald Chambers Not unlike the September 25th deer strike, Laura Dooley and I have gone through many life experiences that we would never imagined for ourselves 30 years ago. The one constant: our ever-present, loving God. He works all those experiences: the good, the not-so-good, and even the terrible, for our good, for our equipping as His ministers, and ultimately, for His glory.
Monday, September 25, 2023, started like most others – a cup of coffee, a hug from my wife, and a crisp 80-mile morning motorcycle ride to Helena for a pastors' breakfast.
There were no foreboding thoughts as I rode down the mountain toward Whitehall. In fact, I have no mental recollection of what happened next and how close a call I was about to have with eternity.
At 7:03 a.m., my phone sent an automated message to 911 that a crash had been detected. It also texted my wife, Laura, with a map of my location. The Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department, Jefferson Valley EMS and Rescue, and the Montana Highway Patrol were immediately dispatched to the scene on Whitetail Road, 7 miles north of Whitehall.
There, they found me lying in the roadway in a large pool of blood from a brain hemorrhage. On-scene evidence indicated a deer leaped into my path, hit the front of the motorcycle, and then knocked me off while I was riding at highway speed. After the impact with the deer, my body traveled in a straight line down the roadway for approximately 190 feet, two-thirds the length of a football field. We would later learn that I suffered a moderate traumatic brain injury and 20 separate bone fractures. Although I shortly regained consciousness and was able to communicate, my brain remained "offline" for 2.5 hours with no memories from before the crash, the crash itself, or my transport to the hospital in Butte.
Later, I learned that a nearby rancher, Philip Hofer, and an unknown couple in a white SUV were first on the scene before fire and rescue arrived. Together, they prayed for God to spare my life. Miraculously, the brain bleed subsided with no significant aftereffects to my brain function.
Laura arrived at the accident scene just as the ambulance was ready to leave. The ER physician quickly determined I needed Level 2 Trauma Care and called for a life-flight helicopter to transport me to St. Vincent's SCL Health in Billings, 3.5 hours away. Laura stood in the ER room as they prepared me to be loaded and saw my blood pressure drop, prompting the flight nursing crew to administer a unit of blood.
She saw the helicopter fly off as she was leaving Butte, and it left her wondering if she would see her husband alive again.
At St. Vincent's Billings, the ER medical staff stabilized me, and admitted me to the ICU, and I began recovering from my injuries during my three-week hospital and in-patient rehab stay. After discharge, we returned to Whitehall briefly to pack up. Then, we traveled to Columbia, Missouri, where we had a house and a nearby VA hospital that could meet my ongoing specialty care and rehabilitation needs.
Currently, I am rehabbing my wrist and shoulder, my concussion symptoms are getting better, and my double vision is being monitored and is improving. There is hope for a full recovery.
Every catastrophic accident and near-death experience is unique, but here are two of my reflections on the wreck and recovery process:
1. Why me? This is a very common question one asks after experiencing a traumatic, life-altering event. If we live long enough, tragedy will likely find us.
Thankfully, tragedy can provide us with opportunities to strengthen our faith, believing God can use tragedy for our good and, ultimately, His glory. No one would choose a traumatic brain injury and 20 broken bones. However, I survived, and I believe God left me here for his purposes, whatever they may be. I am also a cancer survivor and determine to live each day as a gift from God.
2. The hereafter? We have all heard stories of people who nearly died. Some had 'out-of-body' experiences, some saw a bright light, others saw beloved family members, and some provided descriptive accounts of the hereafter. I had none of these experiences-the impact knocked my brain completely "offline."
My story is much more practical-just be spiritually prepared. Few of us will know our earthly departure date, but one day, it will be my time to die. Thankfully, September 25, 2023, isn't etched on my tombstone. Still, I was prepared because I previously decided not to rely on my own good deeds to get me to heaven. Rather, I placed my faith in Jesus and received the gift of eternal life he freely offers. I have assurance knowing when it is my time to go; I have peace with God and an eternity to enjoy.
Coincidentally, four miles away from the Butte ER lies famous Butte citizen Evel Knievel's grave (who certainly had more broken bones than I). A lesser-known detail is that six months before he died, Evel publicly committed his life to Jesus Christ. Evel made the necessary preparations for his final jump from this life into eternity.
The holiday season serves as a reminder to cherish family because we never know when there will be an empty chair at the table.
Finally, thank you to the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Dept, the Jefferson Valley EMS, so many of you who supported Laura and myself in countless ways, and to so many who have prayed for my recovery.
P.S. If anyone knows the couple in a white SUV who was first on the scene, please contact the Whitehall Ledger at 406-287-5301 or whledger@gmail.com or myself at 573-356-8086.
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