Marty takes a tumble

Marty was working on a new office building for NRI. He was just getting ready to come home for lunch when the scaffolding he was on gave way and he fell head first onto the concrete. He put his hands up to block his fall but he split his head over his left eye and was bleeding all over.

His boss called me at home and I hurried over there and arrived about the same time as the ambulance. I rode with Marty to Keokuk Hospital where they stitched him up with 18 stitches. They sounded like they were going to send him home until they did his catscan, then every thing changed. They immediately ordered a transport for him to Iowa City. He had multiple small fractures in his face and a more serious one across his forehead. They were talking about life flighting him but determined that because he had never lost consciencness they could drive him by ambulance.

Mom, Dad and I ran home and got him a change of clothes and packed some stuff for us and arrived up there a few hours later. He was in the emergency room and looked worse than ever. When they finally put him in a room and he was sleeping we left to find a hotel. The Hawkeye and Illinois football game was that weekend there were moterhomes and tailgaters everywhere and the hotels were full. The nurse at the hospital helped us find a room and we were able to get some sleep. They warned us to come back early because the traffic would be crazy.

When we got to the hospital the next morning Marty had a neck brace on because they found a fracture in his neck. His wrists were in more pain than anything else. They told us he wouldn't be going home that day either so we were ready to settle in for the long hall. After many tests we were finally able to leave after only one night stay. His neck was fine and he just needed rest that he could get at home.

Marty is fine now he just looks terrible. Mom and Dad made the worst situation so much better that Marty and I both feel like the luckiest people alive to have them so close to us.