Nick's Medical Fund
Donation protected
Dear friends and family.
I had a serious accident paragliding in Costa Rica on April 1, 2015. After flying more than 17 km cross country to land close to the Panama border I was approaching a soccer field that 2 local pilots had just landed in. The wind was stronger than I had expected, I turned a too hard, and my paraglider stalled, dropping me what my friends estimated was 10 meters or 30 feet. I hit very hard, and was lucky that my seat protection saved me from even more damage. My friends were over to me in seconds, they called for an ambulance before I could even catch the my breath. I had a nasty gash on my right elbow, my right shoulder was dislocated, and my left leg was broken. It was a clean brake of my femur but a closed fracture. I was transported to a local hospital where cervical and spine precautions were followed and found to be negative after X-rays. After that they could finally reduce my shoulder which was the source of most pain. I was transferred by ambulance to another hospital which was able to do the surgery on my left femur the next night.
I'm the proud owner of an 18 inch scar, a titanium plate and 9 screws.
It has been a humbling and painful experience, and I want to thank my many friends in the paragliding community here for helping me out and lending support. My medical bills so far are about $14,000. I will also be missing at least 2 months of work. I am still in Costa Rica waiting to heal enough to fly home.
Yes, there is a part of me thrashing myself for not having better accident coverage down here, but it’s too late for that. Lots of friends and family have stepped up to help, and I appreciate any help I get get. If you have the opportunity to donate something towards my expenses I would be extremely grateful.
I had a serious accident paragliding in Costa Rica on April 1, 2015. After flying more than 17 km cross country to land close to the Panama border I was approaching a soccer field that 2 local pilots had just landed in. The wind was stronger than I had expected, I turned a too hard, and my paraglider stalled, dropping me what my friends estimated was 10 meters or 30 feet. I hit very hard, and was lucky that my seat protection saved me from even more damage. My friends were over to me in seconds, they called for an ambulance before I could even catch the my breath. I had a nasty gash on my right elbow, my right shoulder was dislocated, and my left leg was broken. It was a clean brake of my femur but a closed fracture. I was transported to a local hospital where cervical and spine precautions were followed and found to be negative after X-rays. After that they could finally reduce my shoulder which was the source of most pain. I was transferred by ambulance to another hospital which was able to do the surgery on my left femur the next night.
I'm the proud owner of an 18 inch scar, a titanium plate and 9 screws.
It has been a humbling and painful experience, and I want to thank my many friends in the paragliding community here for helping me out and lending support. My medical bills so far are about $14,000. I will also be missing at least 2 months of work. I am still in Costa Rica waiting to heal enough to fly home.
Yes, there is a part of me thrashing myself for not having better accident coverage down here, but it’s too late for that. Lots of friends and family have stepped up to help, and I appreciate any help I get get. If you have the opportunity to donate something towards my expenses I would be extremely grateful.
Organizer
Nick Crane
Organizer
Ashland, OR