Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Craig Vetter (injured in streamliner/deer collision)

MVetter · 09-02-2015, 08:50 PM

Hello people,
Morgan Vetter here, Craig's son. Out of curiosity I decided to poke around on Google to see if there was mention of dad's crash. After mostly the same news story rehashed a few times on various places, I found that this seemed to be a fairly active forum/thread and thought I might chime in a little with some updates.

First and foremost, we continue to be cautiously optimistic with recovery. Every time we took two steps forward we took a step back which has been an emotional rollercoaster. My mom, my brother, and I have all been in constant rotation to make sure one of us is always at his side and have been since the day of the crash. I am happy to say that as of Monday, dad is out of the ICU and into a regular room. The primary goal right now is to focus on physical ailments and get him to the point where he doesn't need any tubes, antibiotics, or other things helping him along. Once he reaches a point that satisfies the doctors they can start working on mental health. Progress is slow, but he is 73. His is in good health and has always been very physically strong, but still also 73. Everything takes longer at this point, basically.

Now, to the sketchy parts of the crash itself. Crash happened sometime mid-morning on a stretch of road where he would have been traveling between 20-30. Just knowing that area, I am pretty sure the deer ran across the road from left to right, impacting the streamliner on its left side. This was his Honda Helix with the aluminum body kit. He was wearing an open faced helmet, sweatshirt, and jeans. Miraculously his face did not get turned into hamburger. I'm talking a small cut above his left eye that they sewed up. Yeah, the orbital bones (eye bones) got fractured, but the eyes seem to be intact and working.

The bike was more or less completely fine. I haven't been over to my parents' house yet, but I was shown the pictures. I saw a bit of a dent in the metal on the front left. Additionally the upper left area where his left shoulder would rest was sort of caved in. Oddly enough it's his right side (ribs, clavicle) that got broken so maybe that happened when he hit the ground? Don't know. My brother picked up the bike and drove it home. Really it's fully intact.

There was a fracture of the c2 vertebrae which is why he has a neck collar. However he appears to have full movement in all limbs, meaning no paralysis! So to reiterate, virtually no lacerations at all. TONS of bruising and broken things inside so he was swollen to the point of being unrecognizable at first, but most of that has gone down now. These days he just looks exceptionally scruffy because mom keeps forgetting to bring his shaver so we can clean him up.

Anyway, in summation, I don't think the bike being what it is caused him any sort of extra harm. The fact that his hands aren't cut up (no gloves) indicates to me that the deer really blindsided him to the point where he didn't try to brace his fall on the asphalt. Deer smacked into his left side at around 20-30 and he went down hard. Mom was quick to blame the open face helmet, but I really don't know in this particular case that a full face one would have been notably better. The scary parts, for me, were the vertebrae which turned out ok, and the occipital damage (back/base of the skull). That part is covered by the helmet, so... I really can't say for sure if a full face would have done anything.

The waiting truly is the hardest part. I may not actively monitor this thread but I may check back in a few days or a week. We're all sort of exhausted around here. Thank you all for the well-wishes.

09-02-2015, 08:50 PM	#46 (permalink)
MVetter EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 4 Thanks: 0 Thanked 61 Times in 4 Posts	Hello people, Morgan Vetter here, Craig's son. Out of curiosity I decided to poke around on Google to see if there was mention of dad's crash. After mostly the same news story rehashed a few times on various places, I found that this seemed to be a fairly active forum/thread and thought I might chime in a little with some updates. First and foremost, we continue to be cautiously optimistic with recovery. Every time we took two steps forward we took a step back which has been an emotional rollercoaster. My mom, my brother, and I have all been in constant rotation to make sure one of us is always at his side and have been since the day of the crash. I am happy to say that as of Monday, dad is out of the ICU and into a regular room. The primary goal right now is to focus on physical ailments and get him to the point where he doesn't need any tubes, antibiotics, or other things helping him along. Once he reaches a point that satisfies the doctors they can start working on mental health. Progress is slow, but he is 73. His is in good health and has always been very physically strong, but still also 73. Everything takes longer at this point, basically. Now, to the sketchy parts of the crash itself. Crash happened sometime mid-morning on a stretch of road where he would have been traveling between 20-30. Just knowing that area, I am pretty sure the deer ran across the road from left to right, impacting the streamliner on its left side. This was his Honda Helix with the aluminum body kit. He was wearing an open faced helmet, sweatshirt, and jeans. Miraculously his face did not get turned into hamburger. I'm talking a small cut above his left eye that they sewed up. Yeah, the orbital bones (eye bones) got fractured, but the eyes seem to be intact and working. The bike was more or less completely fine. I haven't been over to my parents' house yet, but I was shown the pictures. I saw a bit of a dent in the metal on the front left. Additionally the upper left area where his left shoulder would rest was sort of caved in. Oddly enough it's his right side (ribs, clavicle) that got broken so maybe that happened when he hit the ground? Don't know. My brother picked up the bike and drove it home. Really it's fully intact. There was a fracture of the c2 vertebrae which is why he has a neck collar. However he appears to have full movement in all limbs, meaning no paralysis! So to reiterate, virtually no lacerations at all. TONS of bruising and broken things inside so he was swollen to the point of being unrecognizable at first, but most of that has gone down now. These days he just looks exceptionally scruffy because mom keeps forgetting to bring his shaver so we can clean him up. Anyway, in summation, I don't think the bike being what it is caused him any sort of extra harm. The fact that his hands aren't cut up (no gloves) indicates to me that the deer really blindsided him to the point where he didn't try to brace his fall on the asphalt. Deer smacked into his left side at around 20-30 and he went down hard. Mom was quick to blame the open face helmet, but I really don't know in this particular case that a full face one would have been notably better. The scary parts, for me, were the vertebrae which turned out ok, and the occipital damage (back/base of the skull). That part is covered by the helmet, so... I really can't say for sure if a full face would have done anything. The waiting truly is the hardest part. I may not actively monitor this thread but I may check back in a few days or a week. We're all sort of exhausted around here. Thank you all for the well-wishes.