Don and Cheryl Turnbough are loving parents and grandparents and have been happily married for 49 years. They are active members of their church and  community - thoughtful, giving, and selfless. Tragedy struck them and their family on October 29 when they were in a horrific car accident.

 

Traveling from their home in Northern California to see their daughter and grandchildren in Southern Oregon, they encountered a very erratic – possibly drunk – driver on I5. They called 911 to report it, but also decided to get off the freeway to put distance between themselves and the dangerous driver. They waited until they thought it would be safe, then returned to the freeway and soon saw a CHP car parked on the interstate median.

 

Don – wanting to help prevent an accident – pulled off the freeway onto the shoulder, intending to inform the officer of the situation. He turned the car off and almost immediately they were struck from behind at high speed by the erratic driver. The impact crushed their car, which rolled multiple times before coming to a stop. Because the car was turned off, the front airbags did not deploy during the impact. Their car is shown post-accident below – truly horrifying.

 

 

 

 

Both Don and Cheryl were severely injured. Cheryl was removed from the car, stabilized and taken to a local hospital where they found she had eight broken ribs, fluid behind her spleen, facial lacerations, and multiple bruises. She was admitted to the hospital and the next day was found to also have fluid around her lungs. She ended up staying in the hospital for nearly a week, and on discharge still required oxygen and a hospital bed. She will be in recovery for months, but fortunately her injuries are not life-threatening.

 

Don's injuries were more serious. Due to the damage to the car, they couldn't extract him and ended up having to use the jaws of life. At that point his situation was tenuous; he remained unconscious and struggled to breathe. The officers, paramedics, and firefighters on the scene worked hard to save his life. Once he was stabilized, he was life-flighted to a nearby hospital. There they found broken teeth, a lacerated tongue, lung contusion, eight broken ribs, three fractured vertebrae, and – worst of all – an extensive brain injury called Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI).  DAI is a devastating injury, one which is generally accompanied by a poor prognosis for recovery.

 

Since the accident, Don has remained in ICU, unconscious and on a ventilator. He had a drain tube placed into his brain to relieve excess fluid pressure resulting from the damage. He was placed on IV medications for blood pressure, pain and sedation. He had a tracheostomy and PEG (feeding) tube placed. He will remain in ICU until he is stable enough to go to a long-term acute care facility, where he will remain until his condition changes.

 

The doctors say it's too early to know if he will wake up, and if he does wake up, how much brain damage will be permanent. They have told us that he will never be the same. It is devastating, but we are still praying for a miracle!

 

The money we are able to collect through your grace and generosity will be used to help the family cover all the expenses arising from this accident. Your donation will help Don to achieve the best recovery possible. Every bit helps and we are so grateful for the support. Please keep Don and Cheryl in your prayers, we believe in prayer! Thank you and God Bless.

Some background:
Don strives to do what is right in all circumstances. He is a very kind and caring person with a gentle heart. He has had different jobs over the years, but most recently was an aid in special needs education classes in elementary school. Those kids loved him with his patient kindness and he loved working with them. He retired 2 years ago.  Most of his adult life he has taught children's Sunday School.

Cheryl has always loved books and for 31 years enjoyed her job as a middle school Library Technician, she retired 2 years ago. She still works some as a substitute Library Assistant for the County Library. She has also been very active in the local theater group doing many plays over the years.
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My name is Terrie Turnbough Bailey and I set up this account for my brother, Don.

Rachel Turnbough Mathiesen is Don and Cheryl's daughter and is handling the financial aspect until her mom is better able to do it.