Sunday night I had a near death experience. I was driving 1-40 home and hit a patch of ice on the highway. I have a pretty good level of experience driving in those conditions, but could not correct course. I ended up going into the guard rail separating the highway, then getting spun back into traffic. I don’t know if I hit them, or they hit me, but I made contact with another vehicle. I’m not entirely sure what happened in the seconds that followed but I know I arrived pretty violently in a ditch. As soon as I came to I ran to check on the other driver and they were ok. Everything after that gets fuzzy. Shock and trauma are very real. Another car came off the road and hit my buddies car while we were in it. I ended up taking an ambulance to the hospital to find out I had three fractures in my left hand, and a giant hematoma on my leg. I feel very lucky to be here, as the seatbelt and airbags failed. My kayak was in the back of my truck and ended up flying across the highway all the way to the opposite shoulder. The topper came to rest in the area between the lanes.

I’m fundraising to replace my truck and hopefully pay the new insurance on it, everything after that going to rent and bills. This is a huge and unexpected expense and I was coming out of my slow season as a carpenter. As a carpenter and a kayak instructor I need my hands to do my work, and I don’t yet know the timeline in which I can expect to have use of my left hand. I’m hoping to find something I can do until then, but without transportation I don’t see much as feasible. The other idea is that when I can go back to working the way I’m used to I’ll have something that can do the job, as I expect if I can find work I can do in the meantime that it will likely be scraping by until I can build and paddle again. Any help is greatly appreciated, and if anybody has leads on an inexpensive truck that can hold it together I’d happily take them. The ones I’m finding on marketplace that aren’t going to require a ton of money put into them are in the $3-4k range.

it has been a tough year. I relocated to Ashville weeks before Helene came through. I fought it out to find work I could do with my injuries, and made it happen. My rent and bills were paid on time. My clients loved me. I worked hard and provided a good value for them. I showed up to my commitments. I pursued emotional growth and healing. I’ve worked so hard to keep the ship afloat. This is just beyond what I can repair on my own. I’m grateful to be alive and have another day to fight. Please help me fight.