It was a normal afternoon after school in May of 2011. My sister Hannah's friend, her mom, and sister were over visiting. We were all sitting around the table eating cake left over from Mother's Day. We were all talking when we heard the door open and my brother call to my mom to come quick. My mom got up thinking nothing of it but when she got to the door, she screamed, so I got up and ran to the door and saw my brother standing there. Not trying to be gross or anything but a bit of skin from his leg was hanging down and for some reason the thought passed through my head that the whole lower part of his leg was gone. That thought passed quickly. He started crying because my mom was freaking out and so were the rest of us. Luckily my sister's friends mom, Ms. Christa, is a nurse and knew how to handle the situation. Everyone was screaming and freaking out at this point, no knowing what was going on. We laid Chase down on the floor and Ms. Christa wrapped some wet towels around his leg.
My mom was on the phone with 911 giving them all the information she knew. Chase told us that he had fell off the four wheeler. We didn't even know that he was outside riding it. My mom then told me to call my dad to let him know what was going on. As I started explaining to my dad what had happened I started crying because I was still confused and scared. I asked him when he was coming home from work and he said he would leave now. I hung up with him and walked back into where Chase was and he was being very calm. We were asking him questions to figure out what exactly happened. While they were talking, my mom was getting all of her stuff together and told me to go outside and wait for the ambulance. I walked down the driveway and waited until I heard the sirens. When they got to the house I told them he was inside and walked with them back up the driveway. While I was outside, Chase had gotten on the phone with my dad and he said "The four wheeler is ok. And I'm ok, kind of." Of course he could say something like that in the situation he's in. My mom then made all us girls leave the room because she wasn't sure what the paramedics were going to do to him.
Dad called me and wanted us to find the four wheeler and take the key out of it. I told him that we would get it and to meet us at the hospital. So me, Hannah, Sarah, and Mary-Grace went running out to the back to find it. Behind our house are a little bit of woods then the land where the power lines are and that's where we always ride the four wheeler. We didn't see it right away so we started walking towards the area with some tall grass. We walked for about a minute or two and saw it. It wasn't flipped over or anything. It was just sitting there. So we were confused as to how he even fell off of it. Then we realized how far we had walked and felt so bad for Chase. I guess his adrenaline had kicked in when he had come back to the house because it was pretty far for him to walk with is leg like that. We ran back to the house with the key just in time to see them wheel him out on the stretcher. He looked over at us and gave us a small smile and it broke my heart to see him like this. He was being very brave though. That was the last time that I saw him that day. My mom left with Chase and the ambulance. We made sure the dog was in his crate and locked up the house.
We had to bring Sarah to cheer practice before we could meet up with them at the hospital. We got to the ER waiting room and Ms. Christa went back there because he could have two visitors and my dad wasn't there yet. We waited in the waiting room and I texted my mom. She told me that he was in a little bit of pain and was watching tv. We weren't able to see him and it was time to get Sarah from school so we decided to head there. Before we left the hospital we met up with my dad. He looked sad but I think he was trying to hold it in for Hannah and I.
We went back to our house and packed up my stuff because we were going to stay at Ms. Christa's house for the night. We weren't sure if Chase would be coming home that night and my parents were going to stay with him. We got home and tried to bring the four wheeler back up to the house but we couldn't start it. It took all four of us girls to try to figure it out but we couldn't. I grabbed my iPod and a little black and white stuffed dog for Chase in case we got to see him. We picked up Sarah and went back to the hospital. My mom was waiting outside and I gave her the things to give to Chase. She was outside because they were getting ready to stitch him up and she couldn't handle it. She kept telling us that she would never get the image of him standing at the door out of her head. She is the type of person that can't handle big emergencies like this. He got all stitched up but we still didn't get to see him. On the way to Ms. Christa's house my dad sent me a picture of Chase with the stuffed animal I had brought him. He looked so brave.
When we got to the house we recorded and sent a video to Chase. I texted my mom and dad and told them I loved them and they told me they were on their way home. We got into bed pretty late and around 12:30 Hannah woke me up because Chase was on the phone. I can hardly remember our conversation but I think I asked him if he got the stuffed animal and how he was feeling. He then made me guess how many stitches he got even though I already knew. He had to get 57 stitches.
At school the next day I told my friends about it and it was so gross describing it. They felt pretty bad for him and told me to let him know they love him and hoped that he got better soon. After school we went home and Chase was sleeping on the couch with his leg propped up. Hannah's graduation was the next day and we didn't know if we should bring Chase or not. He could hobble around on his crutches and with help from us but he might not have been able to get to mass and sit in the pews for a long period of time. He suggested getting a wheelchair but mom said only if he doesn't have a fever the next day. The day of her graduation came and Chase did wake up with a fever. He was upset that he didn't get to go but we took some pictures with him before we left. At graduation when Hannah and the rest of he class processed in my mom started bawling crying. I'm sure it was a combination of the fact that Hannah was graduating and the stress from the accident. I started tearing up seeing her like that.
His accident happened on a Tuesday. On Saturday, Chase had to go back to the hospital because he was getting an infection. On Monday he had to have surgery. What happened was, in the ER they should have brought him straight to surgery to really clean the cut and sew it up good. He made it through the surgery with no problems and we visited him everyday after school. We made him huge cards out of poster boards and his 5th grade class made him a huge banner with notes from every kid. He got tons of gifts and candy from friends, family, and teachers. He learned to walk again with the crutches and was eventually released from the hospital. We had to change the dressings on his leg constantly as it healed.
About two weeks after he was released from the hospital he got his stitches taken out; he was really excited about that. His scar it kind of hard to describe but it looks like he was attacked by a shark and we like to joke about that. As the summer went on it started to feel normal again. Chase went to the beach with us and got to swim in the pool and run around. My mom still had to lay with him as he fell asleep because she said he had some nightmares. I don't blame the poor thing. It must have been so scary for him because I know it was for me. After a long thought process my brother was able to ride the four wheeler again with very strict rules. He has to wear his helmet and long pants when riding. I don't know how Chase even wanted to look at that thing again. My mom still doesn't like that he gets to ride it but hey, life goes on. Sometimes I still think about what happened and it scares me that we could've lost him if it had happened any different.
Today he is a healthy 12 year old in 6th grade and we are lucky that he only cut his leg. It could have been much worse. It was quite an experience and I hope my family never has to go through it again.
My mom was on the phone with 911 giving them all the information she knew. Chase told us that he had fell off the four wheeler. We didn't even know that he was outside riding it. My mom then told me to call my dad to let him know what was going on. As I started explaining to my dad what had happened I started crying because I was still confused and scared. I asked him when he was coming home from work and he said he would leave now. I hung up with him and walked back into where Chase was and he was being very calm. We were asking him questions to figure out what exactly happened. While they were talking, my mom was getting all of her stuff together and told me to go outside and wait for the ambulance. I walked down the driveway and waited until I heard the sirens. When they got to the house I told them he was inside and walked with them back up the driveway. While I was outside, Chase had gotten on the phone with my dad and he said "The four wheeler is ok. And I'm ok, kind of." Of course he could say something like that in the situation he's in. My mom then made all us girls leave the room because she wasn't sure what the paramedics were going to do to him.
Dad called me and wanted us to find the four wheeler and take the key out of it. I told him that we would get it and to meet us at the hospital. So me, Hannah, Sarah, and Mary-Grace went running out to the back to find it. Behind our house are a little bit of woods then the land where the power lines are and that's where we always ride the four wheeler. We didn't see it right away so we started walking towards the area with some tall grass. We walked for about a minute or two and saw it. It wasn't flipped over or anything. It was just sitting there. So we were confused as to how he even fell off of it. Then we realized how far we had walked and felt so bad for Chase. I guess his adrenaline had kicked in when he had come back to the house because it was pretty far for him to walk with is leg like that. We ran back to the house with the key just in time to see them wheel him out on the stretcher. He looked over at us and gave us a small smile and it broke my heart to see him like this. He was being very brave though. That was the last time that I saw him that day. My mom left with Chase and the ambulance. We made sure the dog was in his crate and locked up the house.
We had to bring Sarah to cheer practice before we could meet up with them at the hospital. We got to the ER waiting room and Ms. Christa went back there because he could have two visitors and my dad wasn't there yet. We waited in the waiting room and I texted my mom. She told me that he was in a little bit of pain and was watching tv. We weren't able to see him and it was time to get Sarah from school so we decided to head there. Before we left the hospital we met up with my dad. He looked sad but I think he was trying to hold it in for Hannah and I.
We went back to our house and packed up my stuff because we were going to stay at Ms. Christa's house for the night. We weren't sure if Chase would be coming home that night and my parents were going to stay with him. We got home and tried to bring the four wheeler back up to the house but we couldn't start it. It took all four of us girls to try to figure it out but we couldn't. I grabbed my iPod and a little black and white stuffed dog for Chase in case we got to see him. We picked up Sarah and went back to the hospital. My mom was waiting outside and I gave her the things to give to Chase. She was outside because they were getting ready to stitch him up and she couldn't handle it. She kept telling us that she would never get the image of him standing at the door out of her head. She is the type of person that can't handle big emergencies like this. He got all stitched up but we still didn't get to see him. On the way to Ms. Christa's house my dad sent me a picture of Chase with the stuffed animal I had brought him. He looked so brave.
When we got to the house we recorded and sent a video to Chase. I texted my mom and dad and told them I loved them and they told me they were on their way home. We got into bed pretty late and around 12:30 Hannah woke me up because Chase was on the phone. I can hardly remember our conversation but I think I asked him if he got the stuffed animal and how he was feeling. He then made me guess how many stitches he got even though I already knew. He had to get 57 stitches.
At school the next day I told my friends about it and it was so gross describing it. They felt pretty bad for him and told me to let him know they love him and hoped that he got better soon. After school we went home and Chase was sleeping on the couch with his leg propped up. Hannah's graduation was the next day and we didn't know if we should bring Chase or not. He could hobble around on his crutches and with help from us but he might not have been able to get to mass and sit in the pews for a long period of time. He suggested getting a wheelchair but mom said only if he doesn't have a fever the next day. The day of her graduation came and Chase did wake up with a fever. He was upset that he didn't get to go but we took some pictures with him before we left. At graduation when Hannah and the rest of he class processed in my mom started bawling crying. I'm sure it was a combination of the fact that Hannah was graduating and the stress from the accident. I started tearing up seeing her like that.
His accident happened on a Tuesday. On Saturday, Chase had to go back to the hospital because he was getting an infection. On Monday he had to have surgery. What happened was, in the ER they should have brought him straight to surgery to really clean the cut and sew it up good. He made it through the surgery with no problems and we visited him everyday after school. We made him huge cards out of poster boards and his 5th grade class made him a huge banner with notes from every kid. He got tons of gifts and candy from friends, family, and teachers. He learned to walk again with the crutches and was eventually released from the hospital. We had to change the dressings on his leg constantly as it healed.
About two weeks after he was released from the hospital he got his stitches taken out; he was really excited about that. His scar it kind of hard to describe but it looks like he was attacked by a shark and we like to joke about that. As the summer went on it started to feel normal again. Chase went to the beach with us and got to swim in the pool and run around. My mom still had to lay with him as he fell asleep because she said he had some nightmares. I don't blame the poor thing. It must have been so scary for him because I know it was for me. After a long thought process my brother was able to ride the four wheeler again with very strict rules. He has to wear his helmet and long pants when riding. I don't know how Chase even wanted to look at that thing again. My mom still doesn't like that he gets to ride it but hey, life goes on. Sometimes I still think about what happened and it scares me that we could've lost him if it had happened any different.
Today he is a healthy 12 year old in 6th grade and we are lucky that he only cut his leg. It could have been much worse. It was quite an experience and I hope my family never has to go through it again.
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