The Accident
I worked in the oil field my whole life, but decided to slow down and work for my inlaws' rendering plant. My story starts with just a normal friday at the rendering plant. It was a great day, September 18, 2015. The weather was nice, we were starting the cooking equipment up a little early to get a head start on the day. My wife and I were planning a UFC party for Saturday at our house. The day was flying by, not a wink of a problem. My brother-in-law and I were in the control room watching equipment and bs-ing. He needed to go fill some tanker trucks up with grease, so he headed to do that and I was left alone to run the cooking end of stuff.
Within 30 min at about 5 pm, the press bin started to back up, so I slowed down the process and ran out and grabbed a 5 ft bar to start unclogging in before it backed all the way up. While I was unclogging the bin, I stralled a conveyor screw with my right leg and my right foot slipped into the conveyor screw. This conveyor screw had a cut out in the blade and my foot slipped right in to that cut out.
Facing Death
I tried to stand up with my left leg just out of reaction, getting my left foot stuck in the screw. The conveyor screw was chewing threw my legs like bubble gum and sucking me in more and more, but I fell off the screw bending at my knees and hit my head on the ground. The screw was still chewing my legs up and trying to pull me back in and the weight of my upper body and I pushed against the bottom of the screw housing and BOOM! It ripped my legs off! Out of reaction, I instantly sat up and took my belt off and wrapped it on my left leg. (I was alone the whole time this was happening) I knew where my brother in law was, but he was in a totally different room of the plant. I tried pulling my phone out of my pockets, but it was broken from the screw. I started crawling knowing I didn't have much time. I crawled about 25 feet up and over a hose through a doorway and started screaming for my brother-in-law. He came around the corner and his face droped. I told him to grab the belt that fell off my left leg and take his belt off and put it on my right. He was in shock at the time, and screamed for help while calling 9-11. I called my wife at the time who was 3 months pregnant with twins and told her I loved her in case I died. Through all the commotion, the EMTs got turnakits on both my legs and I was lifted to the hospitial.
Never Quit
I'm here writing this story, so we know I made it. I know this story is crazy and I remember every bit of it. I lost both legs above the knee due to the accident. I'm curently 16 months since my accident and life is really good, I take everyday as a blessing. There was no way I wasnt going to meet my twins. I also have two older children almost 10 & 8. I will not show my kids what a quiter is or just because life threw a bad card my way doesn't mean you dont keep going.
I've traveled across the country many times, I mow the grass with a self propelled mower, I shovel my driveway, etc. I truly do everything I did before, and probably do more than I did with legs, just at a slower pace and with more energy.
Everyday is a great day when I shouldnt even be here!
