{"id":16520,"date":"2018-06-19T14:45:35","date_gmt":"2018-06-19T20:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=16520"},"modified":"2025-01-20T15:55:32","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T22:55:32","slug":"impaled-on-a-tree-branch-man-says-a-quiet-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/impaled-on-a-tree-branch-man-says-a-quiet-prayer\/","title":{"rendered":"Impaled on a tree branch, man says a quiet prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><figure id=\"attachment_16522\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16522\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16522 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19141339\/LifeLine-on-helicopter-pad2-3.jpgeee.webp\" alt=\"UCHealth Flight Paramedic Matthew Bergland talks to Eddie Kerr near the UCHealth Lifeline helicopter.\" width=\"640\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19141339\/LifeLine-on-helicopter-pad2-3.jpgeee.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19141339\/LifeLine-on-helicopter-pad2-3.jpgeee-300x212.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19141339\/LifeLine-on-helicopter-pad2-3.jpgeee-1024x723.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19141339\/LifeLine-on-helicopter-pad2-3.jpgeee-768x542.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19141339\/LifeLine-on-helicopter-pad2-3.jpgeee-150x106.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19141339\/LifeLine-on-helicopter-pad2-3.jpgeee-200x141.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16522\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">UCHealth LifeLine Flight Paramedic Matthew Bergland talks to Eddie Kerr, an avid dirt bike rider who was flown to Memorial Hospital&#8217;s Level I Trauma Center after he became impaled on a tree branch while riding in remote Teller County.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Eddie Kerr had gone on a dirt bike ride on a backcountry trail cocooned by pine and aspen trees, when the ride came to a sudden, life-threatening halt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI ended up T-boning a tree pretty good,\u2019\u2019 said Kerr.<\/p>\n<p>A tree branch the size of the fat part of a baseball bat glanced off Kerr\u2019s chest protector, punctured into his neck, and into the back of his shoulder, bouncing off his scapula, and leaving Kerr impaled and dangling from the tree.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was just high enough that I couldn\u2019t really touch the base of the tree, or the ground, so I was just hanging from the tree for a little bit,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n<p>Using the front tire of his dirt bike as a perch, Kerr managed to pull himself up and extract himself from the branch. He lay on the ground, and the first thought that came to the 42-year-old, was this: \u201cI\u2019m done.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>A peaceful silence fell over him, and he prayed. \u201cThank you God for my life. I had a good run. I\u2019m going to miss everybody.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Kerr knew where he was &#8212; 10 miles away from anywhere, where there\u2019s no cell phone service \u2013 and how long it would take for help to arrive.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16523\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16523\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16523 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19141557\/eddiekerr.jpgeee.webp\" alt=\"A photograph of Eddie Kerr\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19141557\/eddiekerr.jpgeee.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19141557\/eddiekerr.jpgeee-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19141557\/eddiekerr.jpgeee-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19141557\/eddiekerr.jpgeee-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19141557\/eddiekerr.jpgeee-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19141557\/eddiekerr.jpgeee-200x133.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16523\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eddie Kerr explains how he became impaled on a tree branch while riding a dirt bike in remote Teller County.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI figured time was not on my side, and I was going to run out of it.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Kerr, a truck driver, had about 10 buddies with him that day, and for safety\u2019s sake, they use a \u201cladder\u2019\u2019 system when they ride. When the lead bikers come to an intersection, they stop and wait for the others. If no one comes, they turn around and go back. One of Kerr\u2019s best friends turned around, and found Kerr on the ground. He raced for help. Then two more friends arrived \u2013 one put a glove inside the wound and applied pressure, another held up Kerr\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n<p>Nate Boyce, a paramedic and public information officer with Ute Pass Regional Paramedic Services, recalled that they were dispatched for a \u201cmale party who had a neck wound from a stick stuck in his neck.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>When Boyce and Divide Fire arrived at the trailhead, Good Samaritans offered up their ATVs to the first responders who then rode for 30 minutes before reaching Eddie, who was still receiving direct pressure to his wound from his friend.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe found him on the trail with probably a dozen bystanders and two deputies from Teller County. \u2026\u00a0 Eddie was not looking the greatest at that point. There was a significant amount of blood around him.\u00a0 He was gray and pretty confused.\u00a0 We got some vital signs. We put some IVs in him and we got a plan together. The bystander was still holding pressure,\u2019\u2019 Boyce said.<\/p>\n<p>By that time,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/services\/emergency-care\/uchealth-emergency-medical-services\/uchealth-lifeline\/\"> UCHealth\u2019s LifeLine helicopter<\/a> was overhead.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16524\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16524\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16524 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19142127\/dr.gregday2.jpgeee.webp\" alt=\"A photo of Dr. Greg Day, trauma surgeon at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19142127\/dr.gregday2.jpgeee.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19142127\/dr.gregday2.jpgeee-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19142127\/dr.gregday2.jpgeee-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19142127\/dr.gregday2.jpgeee-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19142127\/dr.gregday2.jpgeee-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19142127\/dr.gregday2.jpgeee-200x133.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16524\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Greg Day, UCHealth trauma surgeon, operated on Eddie Kerr after he came to Memorial Hospital Central&#8217;s Level I Trauma Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWhen we got to Eddie, he was packaged, ready to be transported and Ute Pass Regional Paramedic Services had already treated him. They gave him a clotting agent in his neck, so that he wouldn\u2019t bleed. We loaded him onto an ATV and started transporting him to the helicopter,\u2019\u2019 said Matthew Bergland, UCHealth LifeLine flight paramedic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe injuries were very, very significant and probably without air transport the outcome could have been much different,\u2019\u2019 Bergland said.<\/p>\n<p>Kerr\u2019s wife, Tammy Kerr, got a call from a friend that Eddie had been hurt. She didn\u2019t think much of it, because Eddie has broken bones before. Then, when the friend said it was \u201creal bad,\u2019\u2019 Tammy got \u201ca weird, hot tingly feeling.\u2019\u2019 She arrived at the hospital a short time later.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/greg-day-md\/\">Dr. Greg Day<\/a>, the trauma surgeon who operated on Kerr, said Kerr \u201ccarried a lot of the tree with him\u2019\u2019 and needed surgeries to clean the wound of leaves and pieces from the tree. Day said paramedics in Teller County did a superb job. Providing a clotting agent in Kerr\u2019s wound, to keep it from bleeding, was exactly the right thing to do.<\/p>\n<p>Kerr said he had two broken ribs, a broken vertebrae, broken scapula and punctured lungs. He spent seven days in the hospital, arriving on Sunday and leaving the following Sunday.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16525\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16525\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16525 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19142538\/Lifelinehelicopter.webp\" alt=\"UCHealth's Lifeline helicopter is shown with Flight Nurse Ami Bess in the cockpit. She and Matt Bergland, a flight paramedic, talk to patient Eddie Kerr.\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19142538\/Lifelinehelicopter.webp 1393w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19142538\/Lifelinehelicopter-300x198.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19142538\/Lifelinehelicopter-1024x677.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19142538\/Lifelinehelicopter-768x508.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19142538\/Lifelinehelicopter-150x99.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/06\/19142538\/Lifelinehelicopter-200x132.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16525\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">UCHealth Flight Nurse Ami Bess sits in the cockpit of a UCHealth LifeLine helicopter. Bess cared for Eddie Kerr as he was flown to Memorial Hospital Central&#8217;s Level I Trauma Center in Colorado Springs. Matthew Bergland, a flight paramedic, is also pictured.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the end, Kerr had good fortune. He was wearing the right protective gear, had a friend apply direct pressure to the wound, had an army of paramedics on the ground and in the air fighting for him and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/uchealth-memorial-hospital-central-designated-by-state-as-southern-colorados-first-level-1-trauma-center\/\">Level I Trauma Center<\/a> ready to care for him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are the reason that I am here with you now,\u2019\u2019 Kerr said recently. \u201c\u2026 And I cannot thank them enough.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Kerr said he has retired from dirt bike riding, and he plans to pursue new sports &#8212; golf and fishing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eddie Kerr had gone on a dirt bike ride on a backcountry trail cocooned by pine and aspen trees, when the ride came to a sudden, life-threatening halt. \u201cI ended up T-boning a tree pretty good,\u2019\u2019 said Kerr. A tree branch the size of the fat part of a baseball bat glanced off Kerr\u2019s chest [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":16522,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[3155,2786],"class_list":["post-16520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","tag-level-i-trauma-center","tag-uchealth-memorial-hospital-central"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Impaled on a tree branch, man says a quiet prayer - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Impaled on a tree branch while riding a dirt bike, Eddie Kerr prayed quietly. Fortunately, the stars aligned for Kerr, 42, who wasflown to UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central&#039;s Level I Trauma Center. He survived and is doing well.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/impaled-on-a-tree-branch-man-says-a-quiet-prayer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Impaled on a tree branch, man says a quiet prayer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Impaled on a tree branch while riding a dirt bike, Eddie Kerr prayed quietly. Fortunately, the stars aligned for Kerr, 42, who wasflown to UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central&#039;s Level I Trauma Center. 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