[Birdtalk] Kris Purdy #2

[Glenn B. Barlow]

Dear Birders,

Thanks to Betsy for the update.  I was going to send this last evening, but could not get an internet connection.

Late yesterday afternoon I visited with Kris, her husband John, and her two children in her hospital room (#3213) at the McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden.  As I entered the room I saw her husband John and asked him if I could come in.  I immediately saw Kris lying flat on her back, wearing a neck brace.  I expected the worse.  However, she recognized my voice and spoke to me and we talked a little while.  Her appearance seemed somewhat normal, except for the brace and she was groggy for the experience/medication.

When I asked her what happened she explained she was on the road to the Tremonton landfill, when she stopped on the road to observe a large flock of horned larks and scan for longspurs  She said it was quite foggy, so she pulled her vehicle to the right on the road, got out her spotting scope and put it on the window mount, and took off her seat belt in order move around more freely.  About that time, or very shortly thereafter, her vehicle was hit from behind by a "dump truck."  She said that the crash ejected her from her vehicle. and "stuff" from her vehicle was strewn up the road quite a ways.

I mentioned that if this had happened to me my first question might have been about the condition of the spotting scope.  John commented that this was her first comment.

I asked her if she were uncomfortable lying on her back, without something under her knees.  She and John said they were waiting for the neurosurgeon to visit her, because there were a couple of vertebrae in her back that were cracked and the disks were putting pressure on her spinal cord.  [From a separate source I had previously learned that there were no broken bones in her arms, ribs, pelvis or legs.]

This is all I determined at that time, but I was very encouraged.  I won't mention what I expected her condition to be after all she had been through.  Kris appeared to be in as good of spirits as she could be.  I was very relieved.

Glenn


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