Bill Pottorff’s road to recovery

My dad, Bill, (aka Rocketman) was involved in a serious motorcycle crash on Sunday, March 5, 2023. He was flown directly from the crash scene to RAC Shock Trauma Center at UMMC where he is currently being treated for his injuries. He suffers from an open fracture of his left femur, and with the impact of his leg against the car that hit him, an open fracture like that barely leaves any muscle and skin surrounding the femur bone. He was air lifted to the hospital with only a few inches of skin still attached holding his leg together. He also has a massive laceration of his left forearm down to his bone, a shattered hand fracture with many small lacerations and an ankle fracture. Throughout the several X-rays and a CT scan, they also discovered a pneumothorax in his left lung and we are hoping it resolves on its own without a chest tube needing placed. As of now, doctors will continue to monitor his chest to prevent any increase in fluid and/or infection of his lung.

He had surgery this morning (3/6) to repair his leg and arm damage but due to the swelling and the muscle contractions, they were unable to place the rod into his leg to correct his femur bone. They have hopes to open him back up on Thursday to retry. I would also like to add that his vascular surgeon was unable to find a good pulse to his femoral artery yesterday. There’s a great possibility this is from the amount of swelling he has around his broken ankle right now. They will perform an angiogram during his second surgery on Thursday to determine their next steps if there’s still poor flow in that artery.

He will undergo an unknown amount of operations before he is able to come home. We are unsure if he needs muscle and skin grafts at this time but it’s very likely. The orthopedic surgeon told us today he expects Dad to be discharged in 2 weeks but that’s at the very minimum. From there, his new journey at home begins with an extensive recovery period including physical therapy most days out of the week, follow-up visits that will require him to travel in a car for about 2 hours each way because his visits will likely be where his specialists are located in Baltimore. Again, this plan is just what’s expected for a good outcome and progressive healing. We are praying this plan goes smoothly and we don’t have many setbacks.

My Dad is a truck driver and will obviously not be able to do so. Whether that statement is temporary or indefinite, we are not sure yet. He will come home to a complete different lifestyle, and the one he lived before, will be no longer. My Dad does not do change well. He is very conservative. I mean, come on… the man has had the same chewed-up house slippers for about 10 years because “they still work”.

With the traumatic experience he has already gone through and will continue to suffer from, it’s also likely he will find himself struggling mentally and emotionally. This will be debilitating to the extreme for him but he will conquer through like he does everything. He is so tough. He has one hell of a support system, and the most important part to his healing is the comfort and guidance he will receive from everyone. If you personally know him, you know he will be determined to get back to his weekly garage projects, mowing every Saturday morning then sitting on his deck all day admiring his work LOL, playing with his grand babies, and whatever else that hard-headed, yet big-hearted man did before this accident. My Dad will be so grateful for any help possible but I’m praying we can help lessen at least one stressor off his back. We are so appreciative of UMMC’s surgeons and staff but the great care he’s receiving isn’t free and it’s certainly not pocket change. My Dad would never ask for help on his own behalf, because “he’s got this”. But as his daughter, I am asking any and everyone to help him and my mom with any bit of donation you are able to give to them.

My husband, Clay, and my Dad’s best friend Rick are also searching for help with building a ramp into his home as he will be in a wheelchair for many weeks going forward. He will be headed to many doctors appointments and will be in and out of the house quite often. Unfortunately, the layout of their home requires him to go up steps to get into the house and we don’t want to see him struggle doing so.

We are hoping to raise as much money as possible for a ramp into the house and to help relieve some financial stress with back and forth travel and a never ending stack of hefty medical bills.

We are thankful for the outpouring love, continued prayers and support and we will continue to update everyone on Dad as much as we can. We will ensure that all funds are managed appropriately. Please message me with any questions regarding the gofundme process.