It All Came Crashing Down

On Friday, June 26 while racing at I-29 Dragway Elyse was involved in an accident after the bike was not stopped in time at the end of the shutdown. As a result, Elyse had a broken back, two broken bones in her left leg, partial tears in the ACL and LCL in her left knee, six broken ribs, a punctured lung, broken nose, and a few fractured teeth. She was taken by helicopter to UNMC where she stayed until July 7. Elyse underwent back surgery on the evening of June 27, performed by Dr. Daniel Surdell. The operation went very well and Elyse was up and moving less than 48 hours later. We are very grateful to have ended up in such a great hospital with Dr. Surdell to perform the operation.

The healing phase for Elyse’s back will be 6-8 weeks, then physical therapy can begin on her back. She is expected to wear the back brace for 3 months. We are still working with a local knee specialist to determine a plan for Elyse’s left leg & knee. Elyse is currently walking using a walker due to the partial weight bearing restriction on her left leg in combination with her healing back.

Elyse feels extremely blessed knowing that the whole situation could have been much worse, especially in the long term severity of the injuries sustained. The Lord was truly watching over and protecting her during the wreck, through surgery, and recovery. We are very thankful to the family and friends that have supported us through this event and overwhelmed by the outreach of the racing community during this time. We’ve had truly amazing support from not only our long time racing friends but new ones as well that show extraordinary concern. Thank you so much to all of you!!