An Impact Makes an Impact

A Grateful Farmer Discovers Exuberant Appreciation for Local Healthcare After Accident

By Andy Roehl
Permission to reprint by Adams County Record

acrnews@gspublishing.net

When someone recounts their experience of being involved in a catastrophic highway accident, their demeanor isn't normally easygoing. Their attitude isn't normally casual or cheerful and the overall outcome from such an ordeal isn't normally positive.

Duane Pierce is not normal. He knows this. Because normally no one would have walked away from the wreck he was in. And whether there was a factor of a high power looking over him or simply dumb luck, Pierce knows one thing for sure: things would have been a lot different had it not been for the souls of our local medical team. An ordinary day at West River Health Services made for an extraordinary impact for Mr. Pierce. And he wants you to know about it.

It's been six weeks since the collision. Six weeks since his semi careened into a ditch off the highway. Six weeks since his leg was lodged in a steering console. It's been six weeks and Duane Pierce is at home, walking, talking and joking on his 83^rd birthday with his wife. And what better way to celebrate another year of living than to recount a moment in time when everything could have ended?

Other than working for the National Guard out of Fort Leonard Worth many moons ago, Pierce has been busy farming his neck of the woods with his family for as long as he can remember.

"Well, you don't want to do that for fun," laughed Pierce as he began to recall the day of the accident. March 6^th was a busy one as Peirce was running six trucks of wheat out to United Grain, west of Hettinger, with the help of his employees and two sons, Rob and Shawn. Pierce recollected how nonchalant everything was in this normal operation.

"I got there, I unloaded, Shawn was right behind me," said Pierce. "I went around, got my ticket, and I headed back to the farm to get another load."

Gloomy, breezy, and chilly. North Dakota winter weather was still in full effect on this side of the country. Bitter wind was in the air and frigid snow was on the ground as Pierce began traversing the highway in his empty semi, focused on getting back to the farm to load more wheat.

"You know how accidents happen," said Pierce. "All at once…this snowplow was right in front of me and I just cranked the wheel to the left and I hit that thing really, really hard."

The plow was in the process of blading snow off the shoulder of the highway when the collision occurred, demolishing the truck with Pierce inside who remained conscience the entire time.

"Theron Schalesky was driving the plow and I thank God he was going the same way I was and that we didn't crash head-on," said Pierce.

After striking the plow, the passenger side of the cab was obliterated, and the truck was sent flying into the ditch with the trailer in tow. After finally coming to a rest, he radioed for his son, Shawn.

"Shawn had already caught up with me, and was almost right where it happened," explained Pierce. "I told him I had a wreck and he said, 'are you okay', and I said, 'I'm okay!'"

Still in shock, he quickly learned that he was pinned as his leg had become lodged in the truck's console. Before working on his encumbered leg, Pierce turned off the engine which was still miraculously idling. Once he got himself unstuck, he was able to open the door and crawl his way outside. As soon as his legs hit the dirt, his son Shawn and his employee, Kyle, were right there to assist.

"They grabbed ahold of me and put my arms around their neck, and we went down through the ditch where the snow was still three feet deep," Pierce recounted.

Although Pierce had escaped the truck, he and his rescuers quickly found themselves in an entirely new predicament.

"Shawn told me we had to keep going, that we had to get out of here. I looked up and we noticed that the sleeper on the truck was totally loose. I remember Shawn saying that it might fall over and that if it did, it was going to get us," said Pierce.

Evading the potential danger that loomed over them, Pierce was dragged to safety where he awaited the arrival of an ambulance, which according to him, wasn't very long at all.

"I just can't say enough good about the quality of the people and how everything worked when that ambulance got there," Pierce remarked. "I was in that ambulance in a very short time. And I was immediately on my way to the emergency room. They got me in there as fast as anybody could have possibly done."

The West River Ambulance crew quickly got to work, preparing him for his arrival at the West River Health Services just a few short miles away in Hettinger, where Doctor Josh Ranum and a host of nurses were waiting.

"Everybody knew exactly what they were doing," said Pierce. "Right there, they assessed me, took a bunch of x-rays and immediately came back with my results. Doctor Ranum told me that I had a bad, broken hip and in a very short amount of time, I was loaded back in the ambulance, and I was put on an airplane…it was the fastest trip to Bismarck, that I can tell you! From there, I had my surgery and stayed in Bismarck for a few days. Afterwards, I got to come back to the ER in Hettinger, and it was the same wonderful experience all over again. Everything was just so precise!"

Enamored with the quality, quick-pace, professionalism and attentiveness of the medical staff he witnessed while in the care of West River Health Services, Pierce feels it is important for more people to know about it.

"The people of the community should realize, that just because we're in Hettinger or in a remote part of the state, we can get any place they want to and get us the care we need in a very short time," Pierce exclaimed. "The rooms were just so nice and clean. Nice, bright rooms. And when it came to treatment and service, you just don't realize what kind of team we have. Every nurse that came into my room was an absolute angel. They just don't get any better. It didn't make a difference if it was midnight or noon, they took care of me!"

Pierce continued to sing the praises of the facility and its staff, and particularly expressed his gratitude for the doctors that met with him, so much so that any notions of feeling pain, discomfort, or any negative connotations that come with being involved in horrendous accident seemed to be a total afterthought when compared to the services rendered at West River Health Services.

When asked if he felt as though he was in good hands from the moment the ambulance arrived, he was quick to agree, "I knew from the very, very beginning that I was going to get the best care I could possibly get. Everything was superior to any care I've ever had!"

Following his surgery and appointments in Bismarck, Pierce was able to see what was left of his truck since the accident. For the first time he was able to really absorb the magnitude of the situation and garner even more appreciation for the care he was given.

"Looking at the wreckage, I thought there could never be a chance for anybody to have survived," said Pierce as he took a deep breath. "There was nothing left and I'm very fortunate to be alive."

He attributes his survival to being in the right place at the right time, citing his placement in the cab during the crash to the assistance of his employees, family, and friends, and most certainly the services of our local hospital, which he expressed is far superior to any other facility he's been to. His newly found appreciation for West River Health Services is something he wants to extend to everyone, hoping they see this blessing without having to undergo such a horrendous experience to find it. In his words, West River Health Services is something of a secret if you don't know.

"We have a secret here in southwest North Dakota," said Pierce. "And people don't utilize as much as they should. I don't believe you could go anyplace else and have better service than what I had at West River Health Services."