On Friday May 14, Matt and Patty Keller were headed over the mountain to visit family when they were involved in a horrific head on collision on hwy26.
Both were immediately life-flighted to OHSU’s trauma ICU with life threatening injuries. The general consensus amongst the first responders, police and medical staff that cared for them in those first hours was that their being alive was nothing short of a miracle. (They were in the blue vehicle in the photo)
Matt took the brunt of the force which resulted in broken clavicle, every rib fractured, an tension pneumothorax requiring chest tubes, heart contusion, multiple open fractures, and more broken bones in his arm and legs than intact ones.
Patty took most of the force to her head, which has resulted in a severe brain injury, the extent of which is still unclear. She also suffered a head contusion, 8 fractured ribs, broken leg, fractured pelvis, and fractured coccyx.
Both have had many surgeries and procedures, steps forward followed by steps back, cardiac complications and cognitive complications. Their road to recovery will be a long and tedious one. Fortunately, they are surrounded by family and friends who are so grateful that road is still here earth side.
Both are still in the acute stage of their hospitalization so it’s hard to predict exactly what the coming days, weeks, months will look like...but Doctors say there’ll likely be a need for extensive rehabilitation.
The doctors have already said Matt may never be able to work again given the extent of his injuries and with Patty’s cognitive state still in question, she may be in the same boat. Both were extremely hard workers ( Matt being an electrician and Patty in real estate) and also in the middle of flipping a home.
All the funds donated will go directly toward Matt and Patty’s day to day expenses and medical bills so that they can focus solely on their journey of healing and not on the financial burden.
Their children and immediate family want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love, support and prayers. It’s such a blessing to have a support system like this during such a tragic, life altering event. Even if you are unable to donate to the cause, prayers are still extremely welcome.
Note: Here’s a little bit of a back story. I am John Krieg and Matt became my son in law over thirty years ago when he married my step daughter. After their divorce, Matt remained an important part of my family. He later married Patty and she too became near and dear to my heart. They are both hard workers and have built a wonderful life together. I didn’t want them to lose everything because of this terrible accident. I have set up a separate account for the donations. All funds will be used to their every day bills, medical bills, insurance, etc until they are able to take care of it themselves. At that point, any funds remaining will be given to Matt and Patty. Please keep praying for them. They have a long, hard road ahead of them. Thanks to everyone who has helped. It’s truly a blessing! I
Both were immediately life-flighted to OHSU’s trauma ICU with life threatening injuries. The general consensus amongst the first responders, police and medical staff that cared for them in those first hours was that their being alive was nothing short of a miracle. (They were in the blue vehicle in the photo)
Matt took the brunt of the force which resulted in broken clavicle, every rib fractured, an tension pneumothorax requiring chest tubes, heart contusion, multiple open fractures, and more broken bones in his arm and legs than intact ones.
Patty took most of the force to her head, which has resulted in a severe brain injury, the extent of which is still unclear. She also suffered a head contusion, 8 fractured ribs, broken leg, fractured pelvis, and fractured coccyx.
Both have had many surgeries and procedures, steps forward followed by steps back, cardiac complications and cognitive complications. Their road to recovery will be a long and tedious one. Fortunately, they are surrounded by family and friends who are so grateful that road is still here earth side.
Both are still in the acute stage of their hospitalization so it’s hard to predict exactly what the coming days, weeks, months will look like...but Doctors say there’ll likely be a need for extensive rehabilitation.
The doctors have already said Matt may never be able to work again given the extent of his injuries and with Patty’s cognitive state still in question, she may be in the same boat. Both were extremely hard workers ( Matt being an electrician and Patty in real estate) and also in the middle of flipping a home.
All the funds donated will go directly toward Matt and Patty’s day to day expenses and medical bills so that they can focus solely on their journey of healing and not on the financial burden.
Their children and immediate family want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love, support and prayers. It’s such a blessing to have a support system like this during such a tragic, life altering event. Even if you are unable to donate to the cause, prayers are still extremely welcome.
Note: Here’s a little bit of a back story. I am John Krieg and Matt became my son in law over thirty years ago when he married my step daughter. After their divorce, Matt remained an important part of my family. He later married Patty and she too became near and dear to my heart. They are both hard workers and have built a wonderful life together. I didn’t want them to lose everything because of this terrible accident. I have set up a separate account for the donations. All funds will be used to their every day bills, medical bills, insurance, etc until they are able to take care of it themselves. At that point, any funds remaining will be given to Matt and Patty. Please keep praying for them. They have a long, hard road ahead of them. Thanks to everyone who has helped. It’s truly a blessing! I
Organizer
John Krieg
Organizer
Eagle Creek, OR