$12,030 raised
·83 donations
Help Brad Irwin with Rehabilitation Expenses
Donation protected
My name is Brett Humphus; I am Brad Irwin's cousin. I am hosting this fundraiser for Brad to help him pay for home health care, home-based therapy, other medical expenses and medications during his post-hospitalization recovery, and some basic utility bills at home.
On Saturday, February 19th, Brad was crushed between the flatbed of his truck and a solid H-Post while tying a gate closed when the truck rolled back into his hip. The fact that Brad is alive is truly a miracle. He was alone and not anywhere populated. Brad struggled and was able to push the truck and pull himself onto the flatbed of the 1-ton ranch truck. He then had to fall off the truck bed onto the ground, crawl to the driver's side door, reach up, and pull himself up. His phone was on the truck's dashboard, and he was then able to call two friends who knew how to get where he was, and they rushed to him. They loaded him into the backseat of his truck and transported him to Falls Community Hospital.
On arrival to Falls Community, Dr's determined he needed to be transported to Scott & White in Temple without delay. Once there, more CT scans revealed the true severity of his injuries. Brad had a fractured hip, a severed right femoral artery and femoral vein, and all blood supply had been cut off to his right leg from the hip down.
NOW....I want you to think about these injuries and what Brad had to do to get himself out of the predicament he was in –
With a crushed right hip, Brad was able to push a 1-ton Dodge truck with a steel flatbed away from that H-post and free himself enough to wiggle and lift his body up and onto the bed of that truck. While doing this his right leg was continually crushed between the truck’s bumper and the steel panel across the H-post on this fence. Additionally, the truck was running, and the exhaust from the diesel engine was right at his legs blowing onto the solid panel. He told me he could feel the heat getting hotter and hotter and was terrified it was going to start a fire with everything being so dry if he didn’t get out of there and fast. (One can only imagine the thoughts that go through one’s mind when adrenaline starts racing through your bloodstream after a major traumatic event such as this.) Once he was able to get onto the bed of the truck, he realized he was only beginning his battle. His cell phone was on the dashboard inside the cab of the truck! Brad had to roll his broken and crushed body off that truck bed and onto the ground below. In severe pain, but simultaneously with an everlasting desire to live, Brad crawled to the bottom of his driver’s door. He garnered the strength through self-motivation and I’m sure some from his Grandaddy Vaughn and PePaw Humphus as well as the Lord pushing him from behind, to each up and pull himself up where he was able to grab the steering wheel of the truck. Once he had the steering wheel in one hand, he was able to pull himself and stand and retrieve his phone.
This was all done with a broken hip and severed femoral arteries. Thankfully his injury was closed, meaning no large open lacerations or he would have bled out quickly in that field.
Dr's immediately rushed him into surgery, and after 6 hours, the trauma surgeon repaired the vessel injuries with cadaver grafts to both vessels. Brad's right leg was without sufficient blood flow for approximately 6-8 hours, causing severe compartment syndrome to develop. He required fasciotomies (incisions in the skin on his lower leg) to reduce the swelling in his lower leg to prevent a possible amputation. The trauma surgeon stated she had never seen an injury to the vessels suffered by Brad.
Brad's fractured hip couldn't be addressed surgically due to the severity of his vessel injuries and swelling in his right leg. Once in ICU, Brad began to suffer Acute Kidney Injury secondary to the crush injury and rhabdomyolysis. He had to be placed dialysis every other day for several weeks. He only stopped needing dialysis several days ago.
Brad's recovery will be long, painful, and the most brutal fight of his life. If anyone can do it, I know he can.
Since Brad cannot work right now and doesn't have health insurance, he sure could use some help. We all want to see him back out there raising his cattle, building and remodeling houses, constructing creek crossings, and cooking fish or crawfish somewhere, and catching some big blue catfish once the fall/winter gets here next year!
Brad has contributed a lot to the community and numerous families over the years around Falls County. He is the epitome of a true cowboy and just a good man.
I, Brett Humphus, have established a checking account specifically for handling these transactions and will be making any and all payments as they are related to this GoFundMe Fundraiser. All receipts, withdrawals from GFM, and banking records will be available for audit at any time if necessary. No cash payments will be made from this fundraiser, all payments will be made by check, debit card, or other electronic payment method with an invoice in-hand prior to payment.
On Saturday, February 19th, Brad was crushed between the flatbed of his truck and a solid H-Post while tying a gate closed when the truck rolled back into his hip. The fact that Brad is alive is truly a miracle. He was alone and not anywhere populated. Brad struggled and was able to push the truck and pull himself onto the flatbed of the 1-ton ranch truck. He then had to fall off the truck bed onto the ground, crawl to the driver's side door, reach up, and pull himself up. His phone was on the truck's dashboard, and he was then able to call two friends who knew how to get where he was, and they rushed to him. They loaded him into the backseat of his truck and transported him to Falls Community Hospital.
On arrival to Falls Community, Dr's determined he needed to be transported to Scott & White in Temple without delay. Once there, more CT scans revealed the true severity of his injuries. Brad had a fractured hip, a severed right femoral artery and femoral vein, and all blood supply had been cut off to his right leg from the hip down.
NOW....I want you to think about these injuries and what Brad had to do to get himself out of the predicament he was in –
With a crushed right hip, Brad was able to push a 1-ton Dodge truck with a steel flatbed away from that H-post and free himself enough to wiggle and lift his body up and onto the bed of that truck. While doing this his right leg was continually crushed between the truck’s bumper and the steel panel across the H-post on this fence. Additionally, the truck was running, and the exhaust from the diesel engine was right at his legs blowing onto the solid panel. He told me he could feel the heat getting hotter and hotter and was terrified it was going to start a fire with everything being so dry if he didn’t get out of there and fast. (One can only imagine the thoughts that go through one’s mind when adrenaline starts racing through your bloodstream after a major traumatic event such as this.) Once he was able to get onto the bed of the truck, he realized he was only beginning his battle. His cell phone was on the dashboard inside the cab of the truck! Brad had to roll his broken and crushed body off that truck bed and onto the ground below. In severe pain, but simultaneously with an everlasting desire to live, Brad crawled to the bottom of his driver’s door. He garnered the strength through self-motivation and I’m sure some from his Grandaddy Vaughn and PePaw Humphus as well as the Lord pushing him from behind, to each up and pull himself up where he was able to grab the steering wheel of the truck. Once he had the steering wheel in one hand, he was able to pull himself and stand and retrieve his phone.
This was all done with a broken hip and severed femoral arteries. Thankfully his injury was closed, meaning no large open lacerations or he would have bled out quickly in that field.
Dr's immediately rushed him into surgery, and after 6 hours, the trauma surgeon repaired the vessel injuries with cadaver grafts to both vessels. Brad's right leg was without sufficient blood flow for approximately 6-8 hours, causing severe compartment syndrome to develop. He required fasciotomies (incisions in the skin on his lower leg) to reduce the swelling in his lower leg to prevent a possible amputation. The trauma surgeon stated she had never seen an injury to the vessels suffered by Brad.
Brad's fractured hip couldn't be addressed surgically due to the severity of his vessel injuries and swelling in his right leg. Once in ICU, Brad began to suffer Acute Kidney Injury secondary to the crush injury and rhabdomyolysis. He had to be placed dialysis every other day for several weeks. He only stopped needing dialysis several days ago.
Brad's recovery will be long, painful, and the most brutal fight of his life. If anyone can do it, I know he can.
Since Brad cannot work right now and doesn't have health insurance, he sure could use some help. We all want to see him back out there raising his cattle, building and remodeling houses, constructing creek crossings, and cooking fish or crawfish somewhere, and catching some big blue catfish once the fall/winter gets here next year!
Brad has contributed a lot to the community and numerous families over the years around Falls County. He is the epitome of a true cowboy and just a good man.
I, Brett Humphus, have established a checking account specifically for handling these transactions and will be making any and all payments as they are related to this GoFundMe Fundraiser. All receipts, withdrawals from GFM, and banking records will be available for audit at any time if necessary. No cash payments will be made from this fundraiser, all payments will be made by check, debit card, or other electronic payment method with an invoice in-hand prior to payment.
Donations
Organizer
Brett Humphus
Organizer
Boerne, TX