Replace my bike from a hit and run accident

Hi, my name is Chase Webster and recently I moved to Las Vegas where I was hired for my dream job as an acrobat at Cirque du Soleil. Just as I was settling into the career I’d worked towards for a decade, my life was drastically changed when I was run over by a car. I hope you’ll read my story and consider lending a hand as I walk a new path towards recovery.

Now you may be asking, how was a circus performer run over by a car? Was it a clown car as part of the show? I sure wish it was, but sadly, no fun and laughter is involved in this accident. As a young acrobat, I basically started off at the bottom and without money in savings. I live close to the hotel where my show was, so riding a bicycle back and forth is convenient, healthy and free. Hey, it was a win/win solution! Near the end of August, I was riding my bicycle home from work and was struck by a distracted or drunk driver. I was riding on the right side of the road, right up against the gutter. A car was driving between 40 and 50 mph as they came through a very narrow construction area. I never saw it coming as they slammed into me directly from behind. At that point, my life was truly in the hands of a greater power.

Thankfully this was the first day after buying my new helmet and I was wearing it. Still, when over four thousand pounds of car smashes into the human body, even a good helmet has severe limitations. Upon impact, I was thrown so violently that my shoes went flying one direction, my body another, and the bike a third. I finally rolled to a stop about 50 feet from where I was hit. I was badly injured with a major concussion, deep gashes in my face and scalp, a badly torn knee ligament, and more.

We have a couple of poor-quality security camera videos from the accident scene showing what happened. Without the video, we still would have no clue how I was injured so badly as there were no witnesses. The person responsible for this accident fled the scene and was never found.

Thankfully, a security worker in a nearby restaurant heard the crash and ran outside to find me lying in a large and growing pool of blood. I wasn’t moving even slightly and my breathing was so shallow that he truly couldn’t tell if I was breathing or not. He had re-told the story of the accident to his co-workers, saying "I thought the guy might have been dead at the moment I found him!" He quickly called 9-1-1 and rescue arrived. My phone, wallet and other personal belongings went missing at the accident scene so I was a literal John Doe at that point.

Obviously I didn’t make it home that night so my girlfriend and best friends were driving all over the area searching for me. That was a very emotional time for them. Eventually it dawned on everyone that I could have been hit by a car, so they called the local hospital and found their nightmare was correct. I had been hit by a car and was currently in the UMC Charleston trauma-unit where they were stitching my scalp.

The entire situation was heartbreaking but I couldn't help but feel thankful I was still alive! I have a positive outlook on most everything, so for the first few days I was confident I would be back to my life in a week or two. Then reality set in as the doctors explained more and more of what I was facing. The concussion was bad enough that I would need a long time in vestibular therapy to get my cognition, balance, coordination and memory back on track. The bruising, cuts, and scratches healed quickly, so that was a positive thing. However, as a trampolinist and acrobat, the ligament that was torn in my knee was going to be a major issue. 3 months of waiting from the date of the accident to the date of knee surgery, plus 6 months to a year of recovery and therapy before I can attempt to return to work. That’s a long time without a regular paycheck.

Even with the help of a detective and lawyer working on my case, the driver was never found. That means I can’t go after their insurance to help out. You can obviously understand that it makes the financial side of things a bit more of a struggle. Rent, medical bills, food, life’s general bills and more will need to come from the disability check and injury insurance that I have. I consider myself lucky enough to be able to cover those life necessities, but after those bills are covered there’s nothing left for anything further. That brings us to the reason for telling you my story.

I have a lot of therapy to go through and one of the best exercises is…well…bicycle riding! Ironic, isn’t it?!? My bike was destroyed in the accident so I am trying to find a similar replacement. This is one of the things I would like to get right away as it will be a very important stepping stone for me. Everyone agrees that it will help with my therapy and at the same time get me out of my house so I stay motivated.

I am still struggling with the thought of starting a GoFundMe as I'm not good at asking for things. I take pride in doing work in return and I know things could be worse, so I’ve been avoiding doing this at all costs. Still, the struggle is becoming real as I look into the future at a long fight to earn my place back in Cirque du Soleil.

What I am asking for is some financial help to purchase the exact kind of bicycle to fit the type of riding that I find most enjoyable and therapeutic. I have figured that I can put $300.00 of my own money towards the bike, but that still leaves me around $900.00 short. I know that to some, purchasing a $1,200.00 bicycle may seem crazy, but quality bicycles are expensive these days. The kind of bike I am looking at can run upwards of $5,000.00. I will be buying one used, and am not a person who is reckless with this kind of purchase so my budget of $1,200.00 is practical.

I have the attitude that I will make it through this regardless of getting help as I am not a quitter. No matter how this whole thing goes, I will find a way to put loads of miles on whatever bicycle I find I can afford. Still, a little bit of help will take some stress off as I face these hurdles during my recovery. Any assistance you can offer will be greatly appreciated!