I don't have all the details but a friend of mine informed me that on saturday this last weekend [oct, 17th] Justin Wyche was dirt jumping and had a not so serious looking crash and is now in the hospital with a broken neck. Please keep him in your thoughts, it's a shame to hear that such a talented young rider is down and hopefully he will be able to ride again.
man hope hes ok, docs will take good care of him, my brother broke all the bones in his face 2 weeks ago, just had surgery friday and looks just as good as before. healing vibes sent his way
His mom, Sherri, is a friend "firemom" on here (hasn't posted) and any of you that race know Justin is an extremely talented DH racer and a great kid. Prayers for him that he comes out of this OK !! Was really saddened to hear this. I know he was riding with Nibal when it happened this was his report "Shattered C-4 vertebrae, dislocated discs, compressed spine, and broken collar bone. He had temporary paralysis of his right side. He still can barely move his right arm. He had surgery today and is having surgery again tomorrow." He believes he should make a full recovery let's hope. Edit: Hopefully Nibal "yjgfikl" will jump in and keep us posted?
does anyone know if he was wearing any type of brace like a leatt or A-star? just curious because it said he has a broken collar bone, and from what i read the leatt tends to break collar bones just from how the force in distributed on the upper body.
wow, this is heartbreaking news, he's a very talented downhiller and racer, I wish him the best..... heal up buddy.....
No leatt or any armor at all from what i was told. Just a half shell helmet. Which is very typical for guys to wear when Dj'ing. I cannot stress armor or full face helmets being worn at all times.. It's not his fault, but we should learn from our fellow riders mistakes
When ever I start getting pissed about my knee a story like this pops up and reminds me that things could be a lot worse. I will gladly deal with limited rang of motion over a spinal injury. Healing vibes to him and his family, hope he has a full recovery.
Justin is hands down one of the best riders i have ridden with and it is a eye opener and heartbreaker all at once to have heard this news yesterday. vibes to him.
My bad I didn't see this thread earlier. His surgery today started at 6:00pm and the last I had heard from his mom is that he was still in it at 8:00pm. They went in from the back of his neck this time and replaced his shattered vertabrae with some type of a cage that contained the crushed remnants of his C4. His mom Sheri made a website where we can contact him and get updates: http://caringbridge.org It looks like his surgery went really well and his neck has stabilized. You have to make an account to get to it, but on the home page you type in justinwyche (no spaces) where it asks for the website name and so on. Be sure to sign his guestbook! Keep reading the journal for updates on his recovery. It will also have some pictures, once I get an email from Sheri containing them, so that I can resize them.
Caring Bridge Updates Since I already have a Caring Bridge account I will be happy to post the updates. Background Story Saturday, October 17, Justin had gone on a 30 mile cross-country mountain bike training ride. He was very tired, but at 5:30 when his friends called to meet at the local jumps, he went to join them. Justin's friend said that he crashed on the first table top jump that he attempted, and landed on his head. When he landed, he knew it was bad because he couldn't move his arms and right leg. His friend called me at the fire station where I was at work, and told me that he had crashed and couldn't move. I arrived with my engine crew and ambulance, and after an hour and a half of removing him from the remote location where they were riding, we arrived at Los Robles hospital. Once the CT scan and MRI were taken we were told he had crushed the C4 in his neck. That night he had surgery to remove the C4 and disc that were compressing his spine and replace it with a cage and plate to stabilize the spine. Today (Monday) at 4 p.m. he will have surgery to implant a plate to stabilize the back of his spine. Sheri Hi- I have set up a "lotsahelpinghands.com" website for the Wyche's to organize help with meals and other possible activities. Please visit the above site and enter "Justin's Helpers." Thanks for your support! --Debbie Knickman Monday, October 19, 2009 11:33 AM, PDT Hi supporters of the Wyche's! I have set up a "lotsahelpinghands.com" website for the Wyche's to help organize offerings of meals and other possible activities. Once I change the security settings, you can go to the above site and enter "Justin's Helpers." Sorry for the delay-- will get it up and running asap. Thanks! Debbie Knickman Monday, October 19, 2009 6:40 PM, PDT I just spoke with Sheri at the hospital, and she asked me to let everyone know that Justin went in for surgery a bit late- 6 p.m. The first surgery lasted 4 hours, so hopefully this one will be shorter. If I get more info about the surgery tonight, I will have Sheri dictate a post to me! --Debbie Knickman Monday, October 19, 2009 8:54 PM, PDT I just spoke with Sheri again, and Justin's surgery was successful! She is relieved that it is over, and his neck is stabilized. Justin will remain at Los Robles another day or two, then will be moved to a yet-to-be-determined rehab facility for 2-4 weeks. There have been questions about movement and feeling: Justin has always had feeling in all limbs; at latest check he could move his right leg, but it was weak. His left arm is a bit weaker than the leg, with no grip; but he has bicep strength and can shrug his shoulders. Thanks for the messages of supportfor the Wyche's! Sheri's captain will be lending her a laptop tomorrow, so she can read the entries to Justin at the hospital. Debbie Knickman
October 20, 2009 Tuesday, October 20, 2009 12:24 PM, PDT Thanks to all for the prayers, encouragement and food. Just got home from the hospital (1230) and Christopher is taking the next shift. In addition Christopher is being supported by Justin's grandmother Jakie. Justin to date has undergone two surgeries to stabilize his neck which the doctor feels positive about. His greatest deficit is to his right arm and some limited movement to the right leg. Core strength is good and no respiratory issues. The right side deficit could be a result of a contusion to the spinal cord but still to early to tell. Justin is in good spirits and is chomping at the bit to begin the road to recovery. The doctor has been great. Arrangements for physical therapy has been put in motion at either Northridge Hospital or St Johns. It looks as if now were looking at four to six weeks of physical therapy. Overall prognosis is good. He is young, healthy, and treatment was accomplished in a timely manner. Though still early a full recovery is not out of the question. Justin will remain at Los Robles hospital for a few more days. At this time it is in Justin's, and our family's best interest to limit visitors. Visitors will have to submit a tree page essay on why it is so important you see Justin at this time. Essay's will be evaluated by me and the top two winners will be allowed a two minute visitation after undergoing a brief but extensive physical examination for any illness that may be shared with Justin or his family. All kidding aside we are limiting visitation at this time. We are so overwhelmed at this time it is hard to convey our needs. I am sure that when things settle down we will be able to come up with a plan on how resources can best be utilized. Thanks again for all your support. I am going to sleep now.
