Today was a better day.    Dad is improving from the setback he had over the last couple of days and the trauma team feels that they have his infection under control.  Dad no longer has a fever and they were able to turn the body cooling pack off.  His white blood cell count has also improved.  They still are not completely sure where the infection is.  They are most suspicious of pneumonia at this point and will continue to take daily chest x-rays and fluid samples from his lungs to test for it.  They will also continue to monitor his blood for infection.   He will remain on strong antibiotics for several days to hopefully completely wipe out whatever the infection may be. 

Dad was breathing strongly on his own again today with the ventilator on the lowest settings. However, because of the fear that he may have pneumonia, the ventilator will have to remain in place for at least a couple more days.

Last night during the night Dad had the chills/shakes again and they had to once again administer Vec (Vecuronium) - the medication that causes temporary paralysis.    Today they did not have to give him that medication again and they also took him off of Propofol (sedation medication).    As a result, Dad was much more alert and responsive today than he has been the last couple of days.  For example, he kept reaching for my brother's hands and responding to their questions with head shakes and nods.  When Dale was holding his hand, Dad squeezed it with strength.  Dale told him that it felt good to feel him squeeze his hand, so Dad then squeezed it even harder several more times.  Dad had his one eye open often and was aware that we were there. (His right eye is still too swollen to open - and all of the bones surrounding it are fractured, so it is probably too painful as well).  There were also times when it felt as though Dad wanted to and was trying to talk.  But  with the ventilator in that is not possible. 

Dad was also aware when Mike and Dale gave him a priesthood blessing (his third one since the accident).  When my brothers asked him if he heard the blessing, he nodded his head yes.  The blessing was also reassuring to my family.

Dad's blood pressure remained within normal range today and did not skyrocket as it has the last couple of days.

There is still cerebral spinal fluid leaking from his nose, so the tear in his membrane has not yet sealed off.  The drain in his spine is still in place to relieve the pressure from his brain. 

We have not yet heard word on if/when they will be able to replace the metal screw in his wrist with a titanium one for MRI purposes.  We have also not yet had word on when they expect his facial reconstruction surgery to take place.  We assume that they are waiting until the infection is cleared up completely. 

Overall, our family feels much more encouraged today than we have the last two days.  Dad looked better and acted better and we hope that his progress to recovery will continue swiftly from here.  The doctors have indicated that it is up to his own body to heal now and their job is just to facilitate his own healing process in whatever ways they can. 

Our family continues to appreciate all the prayers, thoughts, love and support you have been giving to us.  Thank you!!!

Dad's infection is a step back right now.  The doctors warned us that the recovery of such a traumatic injury will have many set backs.  The cultures testing for bacteria were negative.  They haven't found any sign of csf infection (meningitis.)  This could be because the there is no infection, it is a minor infection or because the antibiotics are treating it appropriately.  Right now they are treating him with strong antibiotics that can hopefully take care of an infection anywhere.  They took a sample of the mucus from the lungs last night.  While the tests were not positive, they did a chest x-ray and their best guess right now is that the infection is pneumonia brewing. The antibiotics should treat any of these infections so that is a good thing. The white blood cell count has improved. 


Dad has continued to need the cooling body wrap to keep his temperature down, but his temperature is normal with it on. He started shivering in the night due to fever/body wrap.  To stop the shivering they gave him Prophopal again and put him on a medicine called Vick (shortened term for a medicine that temporarily paralyzes the patient). This medicine made him slow to respond, but when they took him off for a while he responded just fine.  Because of the medicines the ventilator setting was increased, assisting him more with his breathing.  . 

 We had hoped to get the facial surgery done early this week.  His swelling has gone down enough that the facial surgeon approved it for surgery.  However with the infection, the head doctor of the trauma team has not approved him for the surgery.  So that will have to wait a little longer.

Another CT scan was done this morning just to make sure his lack of response was the meds and not his brain.  They reiterated that the scan looks stable.    

From now on we will plan on posting just one update daily, usually at the end of the day. If we have any major developments we will let you know with additional posts. We were just finding that information is changing so fast, that often it is best to wait until the end of the day when we have all of the details to report.

The major development of today is that Dad has had what the doctors call a "setback".  During the night Dad's fever spiked to 40c (104f), which is unusually high for an adult.  They were able to cool his body temperature down with a body ice pack.  

The concern with the fever (and a change in his white blood cell count) is that they feel that it indicates an infection of some type.  Urine cultures, blood cultures, and cultures from the lungs were not positive for infection, which leads them to assume that the infection is in his Cerebral Spinal Fluid.  This type of infection is also known as meningitis (but it is not the super scary kind that you hear about in the news).  They have started him on an array of major antibiotics to try and take care of  the spinal fluid infection, or whatever type of infection it may be.  The tricky part is that we many never know for certain if it was a CSF infection or what type of infection it is. Any spinal fluid samples that they take may not show infection, as he is already on antibiotics. The antibiotics would suppress the culture from growing.   The doctors felt that it was important to start the antibiotics immediately rather than waiting for any spinal fluid cultures to be tested.

The spinal fluid infection is most likely caused from the tear he has in the membrane of his brain that is allowing spinal fluid to leak from his nose.  Bacteria can enter through that tear and cause infections.  It is very important that the spinal leak is repaired, or the risk of infection will remain.  So today they took steps to repair the leak.  Today Dad had a "spinal drain" procedure, to drain his spinal fluid down.  They placed a tube in his lower lumbar (similar to an epidural) to drain the fluid.  The purpose of this is to relieve pressure in the brain so that the CSF leak can seal.  This can happen fairly quickly, or it can take weeks.  If it is not successful, they will have to enter through the nose to try and patch the leak, or, as a last resort, go in through the skull to try to repair it.  The issue is that these leaks can be very tricky to locate, like finding a needle in a haystack.  We are obviously really hoping that the spinal drain will work and the leak will seal off on its own and that the additional measures will not be necessary.

Dad's infection is weakening him and may slow the healing process down in other areas as well.  
The goal is still to get Dad off of the ventilator, but he did not make any progress in that area today.  They are still waiting for him to cough.

We continue to hope that they can remove the ventilator soon so that Dad can be more comfortable.  We would also like for them to take his neck brace off.  We are hoping that the wrist surgeon will be able to replace his exterior wrist screw with a titanium one so that the MRI can be done tomorrow to rule out neck injuries.  This needs to be done before they take the brace off.  It is so hard seeing Dad so obviously uncomfortable.  When he is alert he often thrashes around trying to get all of the various paraphernalia off of his body.  He has been nicknamed the "master manipulator" by the nurses because he is so good and finding ways to wiggle out of the compressors on his legs and the ties and straps on his arms.  When we talk to him it feels like he is pleading for us to help him out and make him more comfortable, so it is very difficult to see.  This is especially hard on my mom.    We feel that once he can get the ventilator out, he will be much more calm, so we would really love to see that happen soon. 

When Dad gets agitated, his blood pressure shoots up (above 200 sometimes).  Dad has never had high blood pressure before, so this is a bit concerning.  He has now being given blood pressure medication to help control that.

On a positive note - Mike noted that this morning was the most alert that he has seen my dad.  My dad was properly responsive to the neuro team when they stopped by. 

Tomorrow will be a week since the accident occurred.  As a family we would have loved to see more progress made up to this point, but realize that this whole situation is going to require much patience and love on our part.  Dad is physically starting to look much better and less swollen and more like himself. 

This day has brought some tender mercies with it.  As Mary stated from her morning update, Dad was much more alert and responsive today.  This afternoon and evening he held a few of our hands, squeezed them, and rubbed us with his thumb.  It was his way of letting us know he loves us.  He opened the one eye and when we asked if he could see my mom, he nodded yes.  The nurse held up two fingers and asked if he could see them, he looked and held up two fingers on his own.  He also wiggled both right and left fingers when asked.  He became a little agitated and wanted so bad to tell us something.  His breathing started to struggle again so they turned up the ventilator slightly. We were concerned that he was digressing with his breathing, but the doctor said a little fluctuation like that is normal.  The nurse told him if he coughed for them they could take it out.  He tried and tried for many minutes but couldn't get a good cough out.  Hopefully that will happen tomorrow.  As he became more agitated his blood pressure really skyrocketed.  They asked us not to interact with him for a while to stop the stimulation so that he could rest.

They were unable to do the MRI on his neck, because it turns out that a part of the rod that is screwed into his wrist is not titanium.  The doctor is hoping that it will be something they can change out and replace with titanium metal since it is on the outside, but he is not sure.  They will have to wait and hear back from the wrist surgeon tomorrow or Monday.  Until that can be replace and an MRI can be done his neck brace must stay in place.  We really hope that will be taken care of because he is miserable in the neck brace.

They did a culture to determine where the infection is and so they can begin to treat it, however the results won't be back for about 48 hours.  They did replace the arterial line with the thinner pic line.

So many people have asked what they can do.  We asked my mom what she needed and this is what she came up with. There are so many people that are struggling and hurt that do not have the support my dad has. Some of the other patients around have few or no visitors. If you want to help us wherever you are, please reach out to someone that doesn't have that support system and help them with their struggles. Even if it is someone you don't know.  Hospitals and nursing homes are full of people that never get visitors, and have no one to turn to.  I know that would really please and touch my father and mother.

We are grateful we started this blog and can try and keep so many who have requested updates informed.  On this blog you can also send your love and support through the comments.  At the bottom of each post you can click on the word "comments" that appears in blue.  This will allow you to write a small note to our family that all of us will see.  If you don't have a google account you can click on "Anonymous" where it says "Comment As:" and that will allow you to write a comment.
Thanks again for all your love and support.

Updates from my hospital visit this morning:

Dad is leaking spinal fluid from his nose. They are going to monitor it until tomorrow.  If it has not stopped by then they will perform another CT scan and will take action to stop it - by either a spinal drain or surgical repair.    They are concerned about that. 

Dad is still on the ventilator.  His breathing progress has plateaued.  He is breathing on his own, they just need him to take deeper breaths and be able to cough on command.  They think that he isn't coughing because he doesn't want to (broken rib pain), not because he actually can't.  They are going to keep checking his progress and once he hits those milestones they will take the breathing tube out. We really hope this will happen soon for his own comfort and because it will reduce the risk of lung infection to get it out sooner rather than later. Also, he may be able to talk to us a bit if he can get that out.

Dad has been running a low grade fever, so they are checking for infections in his blood / urine.  They started him on antibiotics.  Another source of infection may be his arterial line. They are going to take that out and replace it with a thinner pic line that will run up his arm to his main artery. 

They are running an MRI on Dad's neck today to make sure there is not any ligament damage.  If his neck is fine, they are going to take off his neck brace so that he can be a bit more comfortable. 

They are still getting good responses from Dad on command, but would like him to be a little more alert in between, so they have lowered his pain meds a bit.

When I was there this morning, Dad was the most responsive he has been.  He opened his eye (one eye is too swollen) several times and definitely seemed to know that I was there.  When I asked him to wiggle his toes and lift his arm for me, he did both.  He did not give me a thumbs up, but his hands are casted/ splinted, so it may have been too hard.  I told him that I was here and that I loved him and he raised his eyebrows at me in response.  At one point he was making noises and it seemed like he was trying to talk to me.  When I asked him if he was in pain he shook his head no.  When I asked him if he knows what is going on he shrugged his shoulders. 

When Kelsey told him that she was there she got the same lifted eyebrow response.  She told him to get better quickly so that we can play this summer and he again raised his eyebrows in response. He is definitely still in there and he was obviously aware that we are with him.  He also kept lifting his arm to me today as if he were trying to grab my hand or something. 

Dad's arms and legs are tied down and restrained because otherwise he tries to pull things off.  It is hard seeing him so obviously uncomfortable.

Last night when Josh was at the hospital, the nurse told Josh that she was really encouraged because Dad was moving his own body for her when she was changing the sheets.  He was helping her out by turning his own body when he could tell that she wanted him to and scooting himself over.   Today when they changed his sheets while I was there, he fought them on it. But that is also a good sign because it showed that he associated his pain with turning on his ribs. 

So the hope for the remainder of today is that the spinal fluid leakage will stop, that he can pass the breathing tests and get off of the ventilator, that they can find the source of his fever and be able to reduce it, and that the MRI will be fine so that they can remove his neck brace and make him more comfortable.   

I personally was encouraged by how he seemed today.  But I know there are still some serious risks of complications and many hurdles to cross.  When I asked the Dr. what the biggest risk/concern is right now he told me that there are about 10, all of them very serious.    So he continues to need lots of prayers.

Thanks again for all of the love and support.

Dear family and friends,
We have been in awe at the out pouring of love and concern for Dad.  It is humbling to see how respected and loved he is.  I have always admired my father's ability to make friends and help people feel loved and appreciated.  Going through this horrible experience has really shown me how many lives he has touched.  Thank you from all of us for your prayers, thoughts, and generous hearts.
We have tried to keep you all up to date with updates, but it is hard to really understand how serious his situation is without being here at the hospital.  I know first hand since I didn't arrive in town until Wednesday.  He is still considered to be in critical condition and is not out of the woods yet.  Our updates have been positive and our family feels a strong sense of peace that he will make it through this.  However, it is still very serious.  He is still in the ICU and has his own nurse assigned to him. He still has the ventilator and is not breathing completely on his own. Hopefully that will come out soon, but that will be only the first of many steps on his road to recovery.  When we say he has responded to our voices, that is a simple thumbs up, or a wiggle of his toes. Today when I told him I was there and that I loved him, he raised his eyebrow. This is what we mean when we say he is responsive.  Many times he doesn't even move when we talk to him.  He does not talk or communicate in any other way at this point.  His eyes are pretty much swollen shut and it take great effort to even get them to peak open.  In fact his whole face is so swollen he does not look like himself.
It is wonderful that they were able to get the wrist and ribs surgery completed.  He still has many fractures in his face, and that reconstructive surgery won't happen until sometime next week at the earliest. After that surgery his face will swell again, and may look worse that it does now for the first few days. The face, ribs, and wrist are fixable.  It is the brain injury that has him in the ICU.  It is his swollen brain that places him in critical condition.  The responsiveness is a great sign, but it is the only thing we have to tell us about his brain right now.  We don't know what the damage has done, or what his recovery will entail.  The first few days after the accident, the lights in his room were kept off, we were asked to whisper around him, and touch him as little as possible.  His brain needed as little stimulation as possible to prevent further injury while it continued to swell.  Since the injury has started to stabilize, we are able to talk to him more, and hold his hand or touch his arm, but he still needs reduced stimulation.  He is still in ICU and considered in critical condition.  For this reason we ask that you please wait to come visit him. This is for his protection.
As we have stated, this is going to be a long, hard, horrible road to recovery for my Dad.  We have faith that he will recover, but it won't be easy.  He will need so much love and support to get through this.  He will need friends and family to lift his spirits.  He will need visitor and phone calls to buoy him up and help him get through. My dad is a good and loyal friend, and he will need those friends in return.  We just ask that you please wait.  We will let you know when he is ready for those visitors.
Thanks again for all your support, prayers, and love.  Keep praying for him and my mom.  Prayer is what will get us all through this.
Kathie

I just got back from the hospital and felt encouraged as I personally witnessed Dad respond for the first time.  He wiggled his toes on command and also grabbed the nurse's hand and squeezed (all while seemingly remaining out).   They were encouraged by that, but they would be more encouraged if he were giving a thumbs up sign on command (or holding up 2 fingers would be even better).  They encouraged our family to try to get responses from him in that way as patients often respond better to familiar voices.

Dad is breathing on his own now, but they are keeping the ventilator in place until he passes the breathing exercises that they give him.  They are hoping to get it out tomorrow.

 I was given a detailed explanation of his CT scan from early this morning.  His injury is in the right frontal lobe and is fairly large.   However, she said again that if you are going to have a brain injury, that is where you want it.  In fact, when they have to do invasive procedures in the brain that is where they do them.  For one thing, the right side is usually less dominant.  Also, the injury is in the area that controls emotion.  IF we were to see changes in Dad, it most likely would be something to do with impulse control or little personality changes.  All of that is just a wait and see situation.  The swelling in his brain was somewhat worse, but because he is still responding they are not planning on doing anything invasive to relieve that at this time.  Brain swelling usually peaks around days 3-5 after injury, so they would expect it to start diminishing from here.

Jeff and I were slightly concerned that Dad is still so out when he has been taken off of the sedative.  We asked the nurse about that. She said it could be the pain meds or just the fact that it takes the brain a while to wake up after an injury as serious as his.  It is probably a combination of many factors.  At least he didn't appear to be in pain.  And the most important thing is that he is responding to commands, which is the most they expect at this time.

I also want to clarify that Dad is still classified as being in "critical" condition.  When we have mentioned things about him being stable in other posts, it just meant that his individual injuries were stabilizing.  But  he is still critical.  He has suffered some very serious, life-threatening injuries, but we feel very encouraged and feel as a family that he will pull through this,

Having said that, while Dad is in the ICU it is best to limit his visitors to those very closest to him at this time.  Please check before coming, or wait until thins are less critical.  When Dad is doing a little better and has come through the worst of this he is probably going to want visitors.  (We all know how social my dad is.)   We appreciate so very, very much the love and support that has been shown to Dad and our entire family at this time.

We will continue to keep everyone updated. 

They were unable to take Dad off of the ventilator today.  They will try the breathing tests again tomorrow.  So maybe then.  Dad was trying to take deep breaths and was getting closer, but was not there yet. He was breathing mostly on his own, but they still needed to keep air in his lungs between breaths to prevent the lungs from collapsing.  He needs to be able to cough and breathe deeper on command to get the ventilator out.

 They are concerned that he may have some infections and may start antibiotics.

Dad has continued to be responsive today.

Dad has continued to respond today.  He gave Mike the thumbs up sign when Mike told him that he loves him.  The next step is for Dad to give deep breaths on command.   He has only been able to take quick, short breaths on his own up until now.  Once he is able to breathe deeply on comand, they will completely remove CPAP.

Dad responded well again this morning, although he was not differentiating between left and right (which he has been able to do in the past).  They have left him off sedation and do not plan to give it to him again unless he isn't resting well. 

He most likely will not be taken off of the ventilator today because he is still relying on it to breathe.    So that is a little disappointing.    He will have his chest tube in for a few days to drain the fluids from the rib surgery.

I just have to say that I have such an amazing family.  My brothers have been taking work off and someone has been at the hospital around the clock.  My sister-in-laws have put their lives on hold to take shifts at the hospital and to help my mom out.  Shari had the great idea to set up a calendar and have everyone sign up for shifts, so that there is someone there at all times (except during the late night/ early morning).    That way we don't have everyone there at once and then no one there at other times. My brothers make sure someone takes my mom to the hospital every day and someone brings her home at night, so she doesn't have to drive herself or be alone. 

My sister came in from California two day ago as well.
For me personally, I am not able to be at the hospital as much as my brothers because of my young kids (and my husband has a brand new job and is not able to take alot of time off right now to help out).  I have been able to find time every day to visit, but it has been hard for me to hear so much of this information second hand.  Doing these updates makes me feel like I am doing my part.  Also, I work for my dad, so I have been putting in extra hours / days working to keep his company afloat from the business end.    I want to make sure that if he is able to come back to work there will still be a company for him to come back to.  But it is hard not being at the hospital all of the time. I know that is where all of my family's heads and hearts are when we are not there.

I can only imagine how much harder this is for my mom than it is for the rest of us.  She is really starting to show signs of physically wearing down.  I tried to convince her to take a day off to stay home and rest all day, as this is sounding like it's going to be a long haul, but she of course also doesn't want to be away from my dad.   So please continue to think of her and pray for her.

Morning Post Surgery Update

Last night after surgery they turned down the sedation to check Dad's responsiveness.  They were unable to get him to respond, which concerned them.  So they immediately had another Cat scan done to check on his brain bleed.  The Cat Scan  looked unchanged from the previous one, which was good.  They thought that his unresponsiveness may have been caused from all of the medication in his systerm from surgery, so they turned off his sedation overnight and turned down his pain meds.   This morning they were able to get him to follow commands.  He also opened his eyes.  He was acting like he was in pain at that point, so they turned the meds back up.

Surgery update

Update from Jake who is still at the hospital.  (The rest of us went home after we talked to the surgeon post-surgery.)
Dad's surgeries today went well, although they took longer than expected.   They were able to plate six ribs in front, but the Dr was unable to get the back ribs.  He said those weren't as crucial and should heal on their own.  He didn't want to keep him in surgery any longer to get to them.    His wrist has pins and external hardware.  The orthopedic surgeon was called on an emergency surgery so we did not get a chance to talk with him. 

Post surgery Dad's right lung looks outstanding with minimal bleeding at this point.  The left lung was deflated a bit. This was caused by laying on that side during surgery and should be better by morning.  Dad does have some punctures to his lungs, but they do not seem too concerned about those at this point. 

They did not need to give Dad a transfusion but they put in a chest tube to drain fluid.   Dad is still sedated from the surgery, but they will check his responsiveness level soon.  They may try taking him off the ventilator tomorrow during the day. 

Dad was quiet and sedated all day and the family thought that he seemed a bit less responsive, but the medical staff did  not seem concerned.     He may wake up a bit tomorrow if they are able to take him off of the ventilator.

Dad went into surgery at about 5:30. They said to expect about 5 hours. We have started a blog to keep updates on my dad now. That way those who are not on Facebook or not Facebook friends can also keep updated on him. The address is: updatesoned.blogspot.com. There are so many people who love my dad so we thought this would be a better way to keep everyone informed. Thank you again for all of the love and support. My mom has been holding up well, but everything is starting to take a physical toll on her. Please remember her in your prayers as well.

I just got home from the hospital. Dad was completely sedated the entire time, but we were told that he could hear us. He won't remember any of this (thank goodness) due to his medication. The nurse told me that most head trauma patients are very agitated when their sedative is decreased, but that Dad is very calm and responsive, which is a great thing. Surgery on his ribs and wrist is planned for tomorrow, pending a favorable CT scan in the early morning. They will be putting plates and screws in his ribs and wrist, which are severely fractured. His skull fractures will not require surgery, as they are straight. Facial surgery will not be for a while. It is possible that he will be taken off of the ventilator tomorrow. After that, he will be awake and aware. He will still remain in ICU for a while. Thank you again to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Your support means so very much to my entire family. It is evident what a great man my dad is by all of the concern and love he is being shown. I should also mention that my family was told that if you have to have a brain injury, his is in the spot that you would want it. I didn't get a chance to ask why . April 18 11:00 pm

My brother asked the plastic surgeon if he could make my dad look like George Clooney for my mom when he reconstructs his face. . . The answer was "no" but he can make him look like himself.

Just had another update from my brother: Dad shook his head no when asked if he had pain. They will reduce the ventilator today. He is cleared for surgery for both his wrist and ribs. April 18 at 8:47am

Morning CT scat results show more swelling, as expected, but less bleeding. Trauma team has classified his brain injury as "stabilizing." He is still responding to commands. April 18

Just called for the overnight update: Dad is doing really well. Stable. Following commands. Trying to open eyes. Just had another CT scan and will get the results in a couple of hours. April 18 at 5:49am

Dad is continuing to show great responsiveness, which is the most we can wish for right now. He was asked to raise his hand and open his eye tonight, which he did. Last I heard, they had opted out of doing another CT scan today because of his level of response, but will probably do another one tomorrow to check on the brain injury. Dad is terribly banged up and the healing process will be long and tough, but we are cautiously optimistic. They are hoping to have him stabilized enough to surgically repair his wrist in the next day or so, but they will have to wait for a while for the swelling to go down to do his facial reconstruction surgeries. He has numerous facial and rib fractures. Tuesday at 8 pm

Latest update on my dad: My mom told my dad she loves him and he nodded his head yes. She asked, "can you hear me" and he nodded it again. The hospital staff is acting more encouraging about his level of responsiveness and we have been told that he is doing as well as can be hoped for. Still critical. Thank you for all of your prayers and kind words.

Thank you for the prayers everyone. Latest update: my dad did well through the night and continued to respond to commands. The biggest concern right now is the bleeding on the brain. It will most likely get worse before it gets better, so they are monitoring that closely. If that is able to heal, then they will deal with the multiple facial fractures, rib fractures, hand and wrist fractures, eye injuries, and any other problems they discover. Right now, however, all of their focus is on his brain. The next few days are critical, so please continue to pray for him. Thank you!!!

Update from my brother: They just reduced sedation and my dad wiggled both feet & gave thumbs up with both right and left hands when asked to. They said it was a good sign. But it is still a day by day / hour by hour situation. Monday at 10:46pm

My dad needs lots of prayers. He fell off of a ladder today and is in critical condition with a traumatic brain injury in the ICU. Please pray for him (and my mom)! April 16, 2012

I have had a few people ask me about my dad's accident, so I will tell you what we know. My dad is a general contractor and was at a vacant car dealership looking at a roof for a bid. He was either about to get on the ladder from the roof, or at the top of the ladder when somehow the ladder slipped and he fell with it. It is estimated that he fell around 15 feet. He fell on the right side of his face and head. Most of his major injuries are on his right side. The miracle in all of this is that the owner of the building just "happened" to arrive at the building right before my dad fell. He pulled up and saw my dad up on the roof. Then he pulled around to the other side of the building, went inside, looked out the window and noticed the ladder was gone. He looked again and saw my dad on the ground. He got to him within a minute or two of the fall and immediately called 911. Luckily, the accident occurred within a mile of the hospital and the paramedics were there within 5 minutes. With serious head injuries, it is so crucial to respond quickly. My dad fell on the side of a vacant building, and normally there is not anyone there. If the owner hadn't visited just when he did, it could have been hours before my dad was found and he probably would not have survived.