Kelly Vice & Family Support

On January 3rd Kelly was on his way to work when another driver crossed the yellow line and hit him head-on. Due to the weather, a helicopter could not land at the scene or at the nearest hospital. Eventually, he made it to UK hospital where they did countless tests and X-rays. His injuries are: fractures of the C7, T2, S1 (sacrum), the sternum, both sides of his right ankle, dislocation of the left big toe, internal bleeding behind the chest and abdomen, a lacerated liver, a pressure herniated side, a deep gash to the head (4 staples) and too many cuts and bruises to count.

The sacrum was considered a complete break because both sides were fractured, but the left side was far more severe. They had to put in traction which is where they drill a hole through the femur and attached a 15-pound weight pulling the leg. This keeps the bones from fusing together in the wrong place and keeps tension off the base of his spine. In the first surgery, they added a long screw from one side of the hip through the sacrum into the other side reattaching his upper torso to his bottom half. He started to lose a lot of blood (one liter) so they didn’t get to finish the surgery. They were able to get it lined up correctly, and he received a blood transfusion receiving three units of blood. It did take a while for his counts to get high enough for the second surgery. A week later he underwent another surgery to add the second screw into his hips and to repair the damage to his ankle which required two screws and two sutures because that bone was a lot smaller it couldn’t withstand a screw going through it so they drilled tiny holes on each side of the bone and laced them together with stitches.

On Thursday the 12th, he was transported to St. Clair in Morehead for physical therapy (PT). Kelly has been determined to get home and has exceeded all expectations with PT. With the aid of a sliding board, he can wiggle into bed, and into a wheelchair and he can wheel himself up rampS. His sternum hurts when he’s doing all these things pushing and pulling himself, but he paces himself. We are so proud of his determination. He is expected to come home this week in a wheelchair. Once he is cleared to start putting pressure on his legs (in probably 7.5 weeks) he will return to physical therapy to relearn how to walk. We are currently building a ramp so he can get in the house, and getting him a few things to make him comfortable while he is recovering at home. The person that hit him did not have a license, car tags or auto insurance. This brings on a world of questions and concerns.

We ask you to continue to keep Kelly in your prayers. Prayers are what have gotten us through this situation, so far. God had his hand on Kelly. This wreck could have been so much worse, but God made it possible putting several trained nurses and EMTs on the scene within minutes. Many were on their way to work. They were able to give him and the others involved aid quickly. The family is so appreciative of all of the prayers and gifts they have received.