Seriously Injured Local Painter Seeks Support

Hello,

PLEASE SEE THE UPDATE BELOW at the end of this story.

My name is Lenny Lambert, a resident of Lancaster County, PA. The photo attached here is of my son, Chris, who has a small sole proprietorship painting business, which he established about 8 years ago, serving residential and commercial customers. This past April, he was rehanging wooden shutters that he had restored and refinished over a porch roof on an old home. Unknown to the owners or Chris, a section of the framework under the old slate roof had rotted due to deterioration from water. His left leg went through and became entangled in the rafters while the rest of his body was thrown over the edge of the roof. He was left hanging upside down from his leg for several minutes. Once he was able to free his leg which was on the verge of breaking, he fell several feet to the ground, landing on his shoulder. He sustained numerous injuries to his shoulder and ribs in addition to his leg. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital and placed in the trauma unit. While initial scans and X-rays came back clean, an MRI ultimately showed a tear in the MCL of the left knee which will require surgery to repair.

His initial injuries left him in excruciating pain for several weeks. He had muscle and nerve pain in the entire right side of the chest that had to be managed with pain medication just so he could sleep. He spent the first several weeks using a sit down walker and a cane when absolute need be.

The impact of this has been detrimental to both him and his business. He lost several jobs that were lined up and currently has no income coming in. As a sole proprietor, one is not eligible in PA for worker's compensation. This is very discouraging.

The prognosis presently is that it will take 6-8 weeks of recovery with physical therapy after surgery. The loss of income is rapidly mounting. We are seeking assistance for him during this time of physical, mental and financial distress. While he is smiling in this pic, he insisted on doing so even after just getting back home after hours of tests, blood draw (you can see the band on his arm), and meeting with the doctor for pre-op appointments. The pain is still continuous and all three of us are looking forward to getting through the surgery for him to begin the healing process.

6/8/2025 UPDATE: Surgery was this past Tuesday, June 3. The procedure took longer than expected, leaving his son and I worried as we waited to hear from the surgeon. The surgeon spoke with us after, and we learned that the left leg inner ligament (MCL) that was shown to be torn during the MRI in mid-May had torn further and weakened the outer ligament due to the knee's dependency on it, and that it was about ready to tear from the stress on it. Repair required a screw into the bone, sutures, and an oval band around it to hold it back together. Chris is in significant pain day and night that is being managed with pain medication. His leg is locked straight in a brace to avoid bending for now, and he can only get out of bed if one of us lifts and slowly lowers the leg to the floor as he can tolerate.

This is worse than we expected. Physical therapy began with very little manipulation on Friday, and will be stepped up twice a week for now going well into July. If you are able to assist and feel inclined to do so, thank you! And please keep Chris in your thoughts and prayers for healing and returning to health to continue operating his business.

6/13/2025 UPDATE: Physical therapy today revealed already built-up scar tissue, contributing to the pain and slowing progress. Manipulation of the knee is gradual and limited in range of motion to break this up. More will be learned about moving forward once we have seen the surgeon this Wednesday, June 18.

6/18/2025 UPDATE: We saw the surgeon today, with follow-up being about as expected. Beginning to walk again is delayed until about mid-July, with some exercises to be done only when in therapy sessions to avoid possible set-backs while healing. There is still scar tissue that is making bending of the leg extremely painful, with stiffness and the leg still retaining fluid. Thank you for your continued interest and concern! As of now, there is no projection as to when Chris will be able to resume his business.

7/3/2025 UPDATE: We were at the surgeon's office yesterday, and due to scar tissue and fluid built up after the surgery, there may be the need for another surgery, microscopically, to physically go in and break up scar tissue. The goal is to return the knee to being able to bend to 90 degrees, and it is currently stuck around 60. Physical therapy is being increased to three times a week. Return to walking and resuming the painting business is possibly now postponed until the end of August.