We love Lake Powell! But not today. Darren, Justin, and Derek were out riding jet skis when there was an accident. Two of the jet skis collided, and Justin hit his head on the left side and was thrown into the water. Darren pulled him out, still unconscious, and headed for the houseboat as quickly as possible. Karen and the girls were not at the houseboat...they had gone looking for Darren and the boys. Darren went to a nearby houseboat for help. 911 was called, and an ambulance met Justin and Darren at Bullfrog Marina to take Justin to the clinic. At the clinic, they found that just had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and would need to be LifeFlighted to a trauma center. Justin "woke" enough to move and cry out when he heard his mom's voice at the clinic, but didn't really regain full consciousness before he was helicoptered to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City.
Karen called her siblings, who were all in Manti for a funeral, and told us the horrible news. We sent Diane and Elliot (Justin's aunt and uncle) to meet Justin at Primary, since we were so much closer than Karen and Darren. The rest of us (Steve, Elizabeth, Mom, Marie, Blake, and Ben) piled into vehicles and headed down to Hanksville to meet the Mowers. In Hanksville we collected jet skis, the boat, a truck, and assorted dogs and kids from Karen and the Darren, and sent them on their way (with Ashley and Derek) to Primary, with instructions to NOT let Darren drive. He also was strongly suspected of having a concussion.
As a mom, I can only imagine the terror and heartbreak Karen and Darren were going through. I am sure there were hundreds of prayers from every family member offered that night as we all sped through the dark. Karen says "I was in a panic. I felt like I couldn't get to my son fast enough and it felt like forever to get off the water and on our way. We knew we didn't have cell service until Hanksville, so it was a long drive to find out more information."
Once in Hanksville, the Mowers were able to talk to the doctors at the hospital and get an update on Justin's condition. Diane and Elliot had arrived at PCH and stayed by Justin through the night. Justin was responding to their voices, which the doctors said was a good sign. He was also protecting his own airway, so they did not intubation him, and his vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, etc) were also stable.
To be continued...
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