On 10/09/23, my husband, Joseph Long, was involved in a motorcycle accident, in which his left leg was amputated in the collision, his left elbow shattered, which caused his left arm to have an open fracture, and was left to bleed out in the road by the driver of a delivery vehicle. As Joe begged the driver to call 911, he was told "I only have 6% battery left. I can’t.” A local teenager called emergency services and kept Joe alert by asking him questions. When the first responder arrived, the teen told the officer to apply a tourniquet. If it were not for the rapid response by Ridgefield PD and FD and the application of the tourniquet, Joe would not have made it to the hospital.

Joe remained conscious on the scene of the accident, on the ambulance ride to the ER, and described what transpired in the accident to the trauma surgeon responding to his emergency, while asking the surgeon to call me (his wife). In the phone call with his surgeon, I was told that Joe was being brought into emergent surgery and that I needed to quickly make my way to the hospital and that if they did not take him immediately, he would die.

Once out from surgery on 10/09, Joe was placed in a medically induced coma and brought to the ICU due to the severe trauma his body had endured; this was supposed to last until after they could perform the construction of his stump a few days later, but on 10/10/23, he fought the medications and intubation and woke up on his own.

Joe was discharged to a residential rehabilitation center on 10/26, but we made the decision to discharge him from the facility on 10/27 due to their neglect. Joe’s stump had opened and the rehab center refused to send him back to the hospital, stating if the wound got worse over the weekend they would send him on 10/30. The facility also had unsanitary conditions and left the wound open for multiple hours before a doctor would look at it. We brought Joe back to the ED and he was immediately re-admitted to the hospital and scheduled for surgery within a few hours.

Joe has undergone 6 separate surgeries in relation to the accident:

10/09: life saving emergent surgery to stop the bleeding of his left leg and place the compound fracture in his left arm back under the skin. 

10/12: formation of the stump on the left leg.

10/20: elbow reconstruction, bone graft and placement of hardware on the left arm.

10/28: after being brought to the ED from the rehab center, D&I of left stump

10/30: D&I of left stump and placement of Kerecis skin graft.

11/21: removal and replacement of hardware in the left arm

Joe is keeping his spirits high and is absolutely blasting through his treatments thus far.

Joe is a WARRIOR and will excel at this new, unexpected journey. We are aware that this is going to be a long, battle-ridden road to recovery, which is why we are reaching out for help to alleviate the financial burden that this journey will bring. We are asking for $100,000 in order to cover the out of network hospital deductible contractually obligated by our health insurance service, any out of pocket costs associated with the slew of surgeries Joe has received and will need to receive in the future, to help cover the cost of physical therapy, which will help him to begin to live his new version of a normal life. We are also trying to make our place of living more accessible for Joe so that he can maneuver easier in a wheelchair and get around by hopping.

Joe & I would like to thank the officer who effectively and efficiently applied the tourniquet that saved his life, the ambulance company who proved Advanced Life Support before his arrival at the hospital, and to the teenager who kept him alive and summoned emergency medical services. To the first responder on the ambulance who Joe accidentally kicked in the crotch while on the ambulance, he says "I'm so sorry”. 

We are so blessed that we are asking for assistance in covering medical expenses and NOT a funeral. This will be a long, rigorous journey but we are ready for the task. This journey will be full of highs and lows, but we are grateful to be able to experience all of them. We are also so incredibly grateful for all the support being shown to him, either through donations or positive thoughts/ prayers/ vibes being sent his way.

Every day is a new day.