Dr. Cornelsen is now our patient to help.

On Monday, November 6, my dad, Dr. Cornelsen was just 20 minutes from his hotel in Salt Lake City after spending 4 days in Yosemite with his daughter and her husband after their annual trip to visit us. They were heading to see my aunt and uncle before my sister and brother-in-law headed back home to Iowa. A simple road trip turned into a horrible nightmare as they were involved in a horrific accident.

They stopped to help an accident that had just occurred in front of them. As my dad and Heather were walking to check on a woman in one of the vehicles, a second truck involved was hit by a semi truck. The train reaction caused the truck to roll over my dad’s legs and thrust him into the asphalt, while Heather was thrown over the shoulder barricade. With my dad inches from the cars still flying by and unable to move and Heather stuck on the side; it is nothing but a miracle they are still alive. They are both stable. It is a miracle!

This is going to be a very long road of recovery, let alone starting the process in a different state. My dad, the amazing Doctor Cornelsen, the fixer, the Mickey Mouse doc who brings a smile to everyone’s face, my hero and role model is now the patient.

My dad had surgery Tuesday morning to put in two rods to fix his tibia and fibula. He has broken ribs, several fractures in his pelvis and sacrum, a solid laceration with road rash on his head and many lacerations covering his body. My sister took the brunt of the accident to her face. She already had one surgery and will require many more to repair and rebuild her face. Saying this is a nightmare is an understatement. Our hearts will forever be changed with this indescribable event.

While my dad is recovering, we are realizing the extra challenges of this type of injury happening in another state. If you would like to send well wishes, you can email him at [email redacted]. If you are able to help donate to the recovery process and medical transport, we are hoping to get my dad home by Christmas! Thank you for any and all prayers and support.