Neither man saw the empty log truck coming their way as they pulled out onto the highway after picking up meat from the processing plant.
The driver of the log truck saw them stop and assumed they had seen his truck but the pick-up pulled out in front of him. The logger said he did everything he could to turn his truck so it would not hit the cab where the two men sat.
Brakes screeched, metal slammed against metal as the log truck impacted the pick-up on the driver’s side. The pick-up spun around and was hit on the passenger side as well. Air bags popped, glass cracked, bodies jerked around.
And then silence.
Neither man, both grandfathers, knew what had happened, but both suddenly felt cramped, hurting and a deep desire to get out of the truck.
What they wanted did not matter. They had to wait for the emergency vehicles. The emergency techs loaded them into the men onto gurneys. One went immediately to Medical Center of South Arkansas. After assessing the other’s injuries, the paramedics refused the injured’s request to be taken to El Dorado or Little Rock.
They called for a helicopter to transport him immediately to the LSU hospital in Shreveport.
In El Dorado, the doctors X-rayed, poked, prodded and found a couple broken ribs, bumps and bruises, but only enough injuries to keep their patient in the hospital for a few days. He went home to rest and recuperate with his family and friends cautioned to give him time to recover.
In Shreveport, the emergency room doctor found much more damage. A severe wound to his patient’s scalp (but not his skull) had caused major blood loss. He had a fractured shoulder blade, fractured pelvis and seven broken ribs. The accident bruised his heart. His heart rate was too high and his blood pressure too low.
His sister, a nurse, told the doctor he had lost a lot of blood at the accident. She contacted his personal physician who quickly faxed over his medical records and prescriptions.
Once he had four units of blood, he received emergency surgery to reattach the scalp and within hours his wife smilingly reported that the skin had already begun to pink up.
The families, friends and fellowship of believers for both men began praying in El Dorado, across the state, United States and even in Europe. Thanking God for the men’s survival, they prayed for their recovery.
At LSU hospital a ventilator assisted the injured man’s breathing. Pain medication kept him sedated to allow the body time to recover from the shock. With years of experience in this kind of trauma, the doctors cautiously gave him a few days to see if he would stabilize and begin breathing on his own. If necessary, the doctor explained to the family, he planned to insert a thin plate into the chest cavity to protect his lungs and help him breathe.
Just before the scheduled surgery, he was re-assessed. The ventilator was removed to see if he would breathe on his own. He did and from the first breath continued to breathe on his own with supplementary oxygen.
“I’ve heard of miracles, but this is the first I’ve seen, that happen” the doctor told his patient. Three days later he moved him into a regular room.
Eight days after the accident, the pastor called the hospital to check on his parishioner’s status. He was surprised and blessed to hear the patient answer the phone. After hearing the report on the patient at the service that morning, the congregation applauded their thanksgiving of praise at the announcement.
A week and a half after the accident, the once critical patient returned to the rehabilitation unit at MCSA for therapy on his breathing. Even with all his cracked and broken bones, his rehab included walking. A week later he returned home, sore, bruised, still broken, but alive, his spirit as chipper as ever, ready to receive guests eager to see proof of their answered prayers.
For the men, their wives, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and their many friends this Thanksgiving, the list of blessings overflows with a abundance of gratitude that there is no empty chair at either table.
(Joan Hershberger, is a reporter at the News-Times. E-mail her at joanh@everybody.org.)