In July 2022, Ben was making what should have been his normal commute home. The commute turned out to be anything but normal. About a mile from his house, he was in a head-on collision, and then everything went dark.

Monitor Rural Fire Protection District #58  responded to the scene after a neighbor called 911.  Their crew did an exceptional job extricating Ben from his vehicle and called for Life Flight Network right away due to the time-sensitive and severe nature of his injuries. Life Flight Network arrived to find Ben in critical condition. He was intubated on scene to stabilize his airway prior to departure. His transport to Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) took just 16 minutes, during which he received a lifesaving blood transfusion.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Ben was assessed by the OHSU trauma team before being rushed into surgery. Among other injuries, Ben suffered splenic and liver lacerations, a collapsed lung, three rib fractures, a hip fracture, and a traumatic brain injury. While in surgery, Ben had to be resuscitated three times and now jokes, “My fourth life is a good one.”

After surgery, Ben was transferred to the ICU  where he remained unresponsive for 12 days. He spent a whopping five weeks at OHSU before completing an additional three weeks of rehabilitation at the Legacy Rehabilitation Institute of Oregon (RIO).

It took an incredible amount of hard work, patience, and support but Ben is on his way to a full recovery. He was able to return to George Fox University this past January and completed his most recent semester with a 4.0. His recovery has been truly miraculous and is a testament, not only to Ben’s commitment and grit, but also to the best-in-class care provided by local EMS, Life Flight Network, OHSU, RIO, and his amazing community. “Life Flight Network saved my life. If they hadn’t gotten me to the hospital so fast, I wouldn’t be sitting here today.”