Hi, my name is Kayleigh Connell and I am the eldest daughter of Jim and Kris Connell. On Tuesday November 11th my dad, Jim, was involved in a horrific car accident on Niagara Falls Blvd. He is currently in critical condition at ECMC receiving care for the multitude of injuries he sustained.

At this time recovery is going to take a very long time. There is significant damage to his left leg and left arm. They have also told us they believe he sustained a pelvic fracture and did confirm they found an injury around his aorta that they’re monitoring. In the days following the accident a complication arose that resulted in him having to have part of his stomach removed as well as his spleen. He is currently stable, but sedated and intubated to keep him comfortable while they continue to address those injuries.

We do not know if or when he will be able to work again. Kris is also out of work at this time to be with him and handle his medical and care needs as they arise. We have been told that when he is able to be discharged he will need to be discharged to a care facility for rehab if that gives any indication of his condition. With that being said, we want the focus to be on Jim and his healing. Bills are going to start piling up quickly, and with both he and Kris out of work at this time we want to make sure they have help. We do not want them to be burdened by finances.

Some of you have known Jim your whole lives, some of you know him because of his business Connell Heating, some of you know him through his daughters or wife or brothers or sisters. Some of you know him because you always see him at Tim Hortons drinking a coffee, or driving around WNY in his giant yellow Penguin truck. However you know him, you know this:

To know Jim is to love him. And to know Jim is to know that you will never meet a more kind and generous person in your life. You know he would give you the shirt off his back before you can even finish asking him for it. Before they sedated him in the hospital, while the man’s body was in active shock, he literally was laying there bleeding out and giving orders such as “go get this key and buy some space heaters to take to this persons house until I can get there to fix the heat” because that is literally just the kind of person he is. If he has ever helped you, made you laugh, or made any kind of impact in your life and you are able, please help us make sure this is something he and mom don’t need to worry about.

When he wakes up he will probably yell at me for asking for help, and I cant wait until he does

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and good thoughts, encouraging messages, etc.

A big thank you as well to the emergency personnel on scene as well as all of the staff at ECMC for saving his life and working tirelessly to continue giving him the best outcomes. We are forever grateful.

Let’s get him healthy and home

With love,

The Connell Family