A major blessing

     On Oct. 21, around 5:20 p.m., 17-year-old Austin Martin of Monticello never thought his life would literally change in the blink of an eye.

     Martin was driving on 148^th Street in rural Jones County near Center Junction, visiting a friend who was home from college. Beforehand, he was near Onslow, seeing another friend.

     “All I remember is getting in my truck in Onslow,” Austin said. “I never made it to my other’s friend’s house.” Anything following that is a guess…

     Austin’s parents, Jennifer and Bruce Martin, are also wondering what happened that evening. With no one else on the road, there were no witnesses.

     According to the Sheriff’s Report from Deputy Derek Denniston, Austin was driving his 1996 Chevy K1500 when he lost control, causing his truck to roll, landing on the driver’s side in the middle of the gravel road. The report states that Austin was ejected from his truck, which is also a mystery. Austin said always wears his seatbelt and doesn’t know why he wouldn’t have had it on in this instance. Knowing the extent of his injuries, many quite serious, he doesn’t think he would have been able to muster up the energy to crawl out of his truck, either through the passenger window or the back window.

     “In the condition I was in, I didn’t have any upper body strength,” Austin said.

     Jennifer was home at the time and her cell phone went off showing Austin’s cell phone number. She answered it thinking it was her son, but the man on the other end was not Austin.

     “He told me Austin was just in an accident, lying on the road, bleeding,” she said. The caller found Austin’s cell phone and looked for his parents’ number. The caller also advised Jennifer that he also called 911.

     “My mind just shut off,” she said.

     Jennifer immediately ran to the garage to tell Bruce the news. Then, Bruce took the phone to ask about the location of the accident before rushing out to the scene himself.

     With younger kids at home, Jennifer stayed back until someone could come and look after them.

     When Bruce arrived at 148^th Street, Austin was just being placed on the stretcher and transported into the ambulance to be taken to Jones Regional Medical Center in Anamosa.

     “He was alert, responsive and talking,” recalled Bruce of Austin’s condition when he first saw him. Knowing he was in good hands, Bruce headed on in his own vehicle, not wanting to leave it on the side of the road.

     Bruce was told due to Austin’s injuries, he was being airlifted to Cedar Rapids. It wasn’t until he was near the Highway 1 turnoff that Jennifer called to tell him Austin was actually being taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinic in Iowa City. A friend of Jennifer’s took her to Highway 1 there they met Bruce and headed on from there.

     In terms of Austin’s injuries, he suffered a right coronal skull fracture, right maxillary bone fracture (check bone), orbital bone fracture (eye socket), left occipital bone fracture (where the skull connects to the spine), sternum fracture (chest bone), C7 fracture (cervical), several thoracic fractures (vertebrae), sacrum fracture (pelvis area), multiple compression fractures, cervical ligament strains, and bruised lungs. He remained in Iowa City for five days before he was able to come home.

     “I went to a middle school band concert the night I came home,” Austin said.

     With so many fractures, one would assume Austin had to undergo several rounds of surgery. Not the case. In fact, he never had to have surgery; doctors told the family they’re hoping the bones will fuse back together. And at Austin’s age, it’s a definite possibility.

     Austin said he has no clue what caused his truck to roll. Knowing that his skull was cracked, doctors assumed he was ejected from the vehicle, based on how he probably landed on the gravel. He said there was dome debris in his skull.

     “It was a blessing that Denniston was so close to town when the call came out,” Bruce said of the Sheriff’s Deputy patrolling the area. It was another 15 minutes, Bruce estimates, before the ambulance arrived. He said the time between when the unidentified caller called 911 and the estimated time of the accident, Austin most likely was not lying on the road for very long.

     “It (the accident) happened and the guy showed up,” Bruce said. “That’s also a major blessing.”

     Austin is still required to wear a brace due to his cervical C7 fracture. He wears one during the day, a different one at night, and another one when he takes a shower.

     “If anything slips,” Austin said of his fractures, “it could hit my spinal cord and paralyze me.”

     Austin does remove his brace so he can eat because of its restrictions.

     “It doesn’t allow me to open my mouth very big,” he said.

     Since the accident, Austin just started going back to school on a part-time basis for now, though he’s ready to get back to a normal schedule or school and work any day, if he had his way. Mom and Dad want to see him ease into things, not wanting to take any chances. Austin, a junior, is set to graduate early in May. His early graduation request was approved just days after his accident, not related to the incident at all. Working for All American Lawn & Landscape, he also wants to get back to work.

     The Martins said Austin’s life could be 100 percent different today, and certainly count their blessings.

     Jennifer said a neurosurgeon in Iowa City told them that Austin’s lucky to be able to walk away from such a severe accident like this.

     Austin did not face any charges in the accident, but had his driver’s license suspended for 30 days. Bruce said with everything Austin has been up against, the loss of his license was punishment enough. After the investigation, Austin’s truck, which was totaled, was displayed on Bill Cooper’s property across from Pizza Ranch on Highway 38. Austin said that was his dad’s doing.

     “It was noticeable,” Bruce said. “If one kid saw it (on their way to and from the high school) and made the decision to slow down and pay attention on the road, it did its job.”

     Being constrained at home would be nice for some, but Austin said he’s been going stir-crazy. He’s missing out on hunting season, and has watched as much TV as he could stand.

     “I’m a big outdoorsman,” he said.

     Even when Austin gets his license back in a couple of weeks, he won’t be able to drive until he’s able to completely turn his head from side to side. He’s been off his pain medications for two weeks now, which won’t be an issue.

     The Martin family said “so many good people” have reached out for support and prayers following Austin’s accident.

     “It’s very humbling,” Bruce said. “We didn’t have to cook for almost two weeks.”

     From small things like offering to look after the younger kids to gift cards and food donations, the family couldn’t thank everyone enough.

     “We just want to thank the community for all the thoughts, cards and meals,” added Jennifer. “We are very grateful for everyone’s support and love.

     “Austin still has a long recovery ahead of him, with many uncertainties at this point. We are hopeful he will recover with little to no issues long-term.”

     Austin said this ordeal has taught him to drive with much more caution than before.

     “I’ve been able to reflect on how I used to drive before my accident,” he said. “I see how and why something like this could happen, and I’ll definitely think a bit more now.”